Ex #FDNY firefighters who were laid off due to the mandates confront the New NYC health commissioner and NYC Mayor Eric Adams in Brooklyn NY.#NYC #NYPD #vaccinated pic.twitter.com/rA8VgT1EZK
— Viral News NY (@ViralNewsNYC) March 24, 2022
New York City will exempt performers and athletes from its Covid-19 vaccine mandate for private-sector workers, Mayor Eric Adams announced Thursday, allowing unvaccinated professional athletes like Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving to play at venues across the city.
Adams announced Executive Order 62—which he said was signed and is effective immediately—during a press conference at Citi Field.
The mayor said “we’re making [this change] because this city has to function,” as he noted the need for more employees and tourists to improve the city’s economy.
Adams also said the change will allow New York City’s players to be on “an even playing field,” and will affect venues such as the Barclays Center, Yankee Stadium and Citi Field.
Adams lifted the city’s vaccine mandate for customers in indoor venues earlier this month, but left vaccine regulations in place for private-sector employees, meaning New York City athletes could not compete unvaccinated.
The previous rule did not apply to unvaccinated players on competing teams who traveled to New York City for away games, leading NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to ask city officials to review the “oddity” last month.
Several labor unions criticized Adams for lifting the mandate for wealthy and famous performers while leaving vaccination rules in place for other employees in the city, including public-sector workers. “There can't be one system for the elite and another for the essential workers of our city,” Harry Nespolli, chair of a group of unions representing about 350,000 city workers called the Municipal Labor Committee, told the Associated Press.
The exemption comes amid pressure from the sports world ahead of the NBA playoffs and the MLB’s opening day next month. Due to his vaccination status, Irving has only been playing during away games since returning to the Nets this season, although he was allowed to attend the Nets’ home game as a spectator. The NBA has a vaccination rate of about 95%, while the MLB has the lowest vaccination rate among the four major U.S. sports leagues, ESPN reports.
