New York City, after becoming one of Covid’s first global epicenters, took the lead in countermeasures and imposed restrictions that Republican leaders dared not enact or sabotaged. Today, Americans in Republican-controlled states are 50% more likely to die from Covid.
And while the omicron variant has dominated headlines and moved markets, it’s still the delta that continues to kill in the US. As has happened since the country suffered the shock of the hastily enacted quarantine in March 2020, politics and public health continue a dangerous dance that benefits few.
It was no different when Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a sudden expansion of the vaccination requirement in New York on Monday (6). Amidst the outcry that receives any mandatory measure announced by the unpopular mayor, departing from office on the 1st, the form, in addition to the content of the ad, drew attention.
De Blasio did not call the press to a press conference, which would allow healthcare reporters to explain in detail the deadlines and those affected. Nor did he wait for the daily briefing from 10 am to 11 am, broadcast live on local TV and radio stations, which has become a pandemic routine.
The mayor surprised national talk show anchors shortly after 7 am and said New York would become the first US city to require vaccinations from all private sector employees, plus proof of immunization for children age five and older to attend Closed places.
So, starting next week, tourists who have booked trips with children to New York may be barred from Broadway shows, restaurants, museums and other attractions. The outcry from the hospitality industry was immediate in the city, which invests tens of millions of dollars in promotions to bring tourists back.
The Democrat has been accused of using the talk show that the rest of the country watches to power his long-awaited candidacy for New York state government in 2022. Today, the mayor’s chances look no better than Jair Bolsonaro’s chances of being awarded a Nobel Peace Prize.
Unpopularity did not stop Blasio from launching a quixotic pre-candidacy for the presidency in 2019, which he abandoned months before the first electoral primary, when he reached a round number in the polls –0%.
But an unscientific observation of reactions to the possibility of seeing children crying at the “King Lion” box office or banned from the favorite hamburger chain suggests that New Yorkers have lost patience with vaccine deniers and the crowd that confuses freedom with the right to infect and risk the lives of others. De Blasio, many say, did the right thing, no matter the motivation.
Yes, there is a legitimate concern of small businessmen —the backbone of the local economy— to ensure that the city’s order is complied with from the 27th, as the city faces the double challenge of a shortage of labor and an increasing public bolder in provoking violent incidents because of the requirement for masks or proof of vaccination.
Who knows if New York’s hard line in fighting the pandemic this American winter could set an example for other metropolises in the spring of 2022?
.
