New York becomes first US city to mandate COVID vaccines to enter restaurants, gyms

NEW YORK: New York City will become the first major U.S. city to require proof of COVID vaccination for customers and staff at restaurants, gyms and other indoor businesses as the country enters a new phase of battling the highly contagious Delta variant.

The announcement is the latest in a string of initiatives aimed at encouraging more residents to get vaccinated as the Delta variant spreads in the nation's most populous city. "We know this is what's going to turn the tide," de Blasio told a news conference.