New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) on Monday flagged the possibility of a series of harsh restrictions to be imposed on revelers heading to Times Square to welcome in the New Year.
The crackdown threat follows an announcement last month from de Blasio that prohibited unvaccinated individuals from attending the annual mass public event.
“Right now, it is on, fully vaccinated, outdoors of course,” de Blasio told ABC on Monday. “That’s the plan. And if we need to make any more modifications, we will decide that within the course of this week.”
De Blasio is an avid supporter of the vaccine and stated earlier this month that “vaccination is the way out of this pandemic”.
He has also taken a tough approach with those who have refused to take part in the vaccination drive. In November 2021 he put about 9,000 NYC municipal workers on unpaid leave for refusing to comply with a coronavirus vaccine mandate.
The talk of new restrictions comes as the New York area has been hit with a rapid increase of COVID-19 cases over the last week with an increase to 510.82 cases per 100,000 people reported on Sunday 19th December, up from 198.72 per 100,000 recorded the week before, the AM New York Metro reports.
This rapid increase is reportedly due to the omicron variant which makes up an estimated “90 percent or more” of cases in the New York area.
The potential threat of cancellation or new restrictions follows the celebrations last year where New Yorkers and out-of-towners alike were prohibited from attending the event in person.
Mayor de Blasio and his wife were excepted from the wider public restrictions.
They danced with each other while wearing masks in an empty Times Square, “barricaded” by police who were present to prevent “unauthorized people from gathering.”