New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) on Monday asked private businesses, including bars and restaurants, to “go to vaccine-only admission,” thereby barring patrons who are unvaccinated and insisting that the proposed policy is in their “best business interest.”
“Everybody has to get vaccinated,” Cuomo said during Monday’s press conference, emphasizing the importance of “outreach, outreach, outreach.”
“Deploy community groups. Deploy people who have credibility in the community, religious leaders. Educate people who still think that this is made up and it’s a problem and nobody really tested this and incentivize the vaccinations,” he said, touting President Biden’s $100 per vaccine pitch.
“Free pass at the movies, whatever incentives you can come up with,” Cuomo said before turning his attention to private businesses, asking them to implement stringent vaccine passport requirements, effectively barring unvaccinated people from entering private establishments.
“Private businesses, I am asking them and suggesting to them go to vaccine-only admission. Go to vaccine-only admission. We did this,” he said. “Radio City Music Hall months ago reopened vaccine-only, sold out all the shows. Sports arenas, they went up to about 90 percent vaccine-only.”
“Private businesses, bars, restaurants — go to a vaccine-only admission. I believe it’s in your best business interest,” he continued, explaining that he would want to know if the person next to him at a bar was vaccinated.
“If I go to a restaurant and I’m sitting at a table, and the table right next to me, I want to know that they’re vaccinated. I believe it’s in your business interest to run a vaccine-only establishment,” he continued before touting the state’s vaccine passport program, the Excelsior pass.
“We have passes. They’re on apps. They’re on phones. It’s very simple. You can operate a restaurant. Just say you have to show that you were vaccinated when you walk in the door. It’s going to help your business, not hurt it,” he claimed.
Barring the unvaccinated from entering basic establishments will act as the ultimate incentive, forcing them to get vaccinated, the Democrat governor surmised.
“If you say to people, well if you don’t have a vaccine, you can’t get into these establishments, then you’ll see a real incentive to get vaccinated,” he added.
His remarks come one week after displaying a more severe tone against the unvaccinated, expressing the need to get into communities, knock on doors, convince people, and “put them in a car and drive them and get that vaccine in their arm.”
“That is the mission,” Cuomo said exactly one week ago:
Recent surveys show the majority of the unvaccinated do not plan to get the jab, as many cite mistrust in the government, as well as safety concerns over the long-term and short-term side effects, the former of which is largely unknown.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) has also become more heavy-handed in his language when discussing the unvaccinated, suggesting the time for voluntary action is effectively over.
“We’ve got to shake people at this point and say ‘c’mon now.’ We tried voluntary. We could not have been more kind and compassionate as a country. Free testing … incentives, friendly warm embrace — the voluntary phase is over,” the Democrat said during a recent appearance on MSNBC.
Some states, such as Florida, have taken action to prevent businesses from discriminating against people based on their vaccination status. In May, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed a measure prohibiting the use of vaccine passports in the state. The following month, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed a measure banning the use of vaccine passports in the Lone Star State as well.
On Sunday, hundreds of protesters, including healthcare workers, gathered at Freedom Park in Charlotte to protest Atrium Health’s and Novant Health’s requirement that employees get vaccinated against the Chinese coronavirus.
“I’m not going to be forced to take an experimental vaccine that potentially could injure me or kill me,” Jane Nymberg, a nurse who has worked at Atrium for 25 years, said. “The chances of that are low. But if it happens, I will be responsible.”
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