New York City Bars, Restaurants, Nightclubs, And Gyms Will Start Requiring Proof Of Vaccination

To crackdown on unvaccinated individuals, New York City now requires evidence of vaccination for indoor activities, including dining, exercise, and entertainment.

The "Key to NYC Pass" enforcement will begin on September 13, Mayor Bill De Blasio said on Tuesday. It will be a digital platform. This app will be operated separately from the state's Excelsior Pass, although The city will also accept paper vaccination cards.

"Climbing this ladder is giving us more and more of an ability to fight back (against) the delta variant," de Blasio said Tuesday.

While it is uncertain, a small number of individuals may be exempt from vaccinations for various reasons, such as medical or religious grounds, or those under the age of 12 and not yet eligible for vaccination. Some of those elements are still under discussion, as Mayor de Blasio stated.

However, it has not been a secret in recent days that the mayor intends to increase the restrictions on those who are unvaccinated.

"If people are still hesitant, we're going to be climbing that ladder faster and more. I think you're going to see in short order more and more activities are only for vaccinated folks," the mayor said last week.

New York City's highly transmissible delta variation has gained even more ground, now accounting for 72% of all positive samples.

Meanwhile, almost every significant infection measure is rising; as of last Friday, there were around 24% more confirmed and probable cases than the week before.