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During a press briefing yesterday, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the city's intention to set up vaccination sites at local tourist hotspots to entice travelers to visit New York once more.
"We think this is a positive message to tourists," said the politician. "Come here. It's safe. It's a great place to be and we're going to take care of you."
Mentioned vaccination locations include Times Square, Central Park and Brooklyn Bridge Park. Locals would presumably be allowed to get jabbed at the various destinations as well, which would offer single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccines to all.
Although De Blasio mentioned that the plan could be enacted as soon as this weekend, New York state (read: Governor Andrew Cuomo) must first approve of the project and also amend a rule that would allow for non-New Yorkers to actually receive the vaccine while in town (as of now, only non-residents offering proof of work or study in the state can get jabbed).
The city's announcement comes at the heels of major news concerning the re-opening of New York. Earlier this week, Governor Cuomo announced that the state will be allowed to operate at full capacity beginning this month. To the delight of all New Yorkers, Broadway is also gearing up for an official comeback on September 14 while our 24-hour subway service will finally return on May 17.
We're gearing up for a relatively normal—and definitely exciting—summer... why not make sure that out-of-towners get to enjoy the warmer months just as much (and as safely) as us locals?
"The fact is, the more people get vaccinated, the better for all of us," De Blasio said during the press event. "It's an interconnected country, an interconnected world and the more people get vaccinated, the better."
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