New Yorkers react to Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate
Fox News spoke with people in New York City about Biden’s new vaccine mandate and their thoughts on future requirements.
People in New York City shared their thoughts on President Biden's sweeping new COVID-19 vaccine mandate, which instructs employees at companies with over 100 workers to either get vaccinated or get tested for the virus weekly.
The individuals that Fox News Digital spoke with in Manhattan were largely split on the announcement, despite nearly 70% of New York County residents being vaccinated with at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine. More than 60% is fully vaccinated.
"I agree with the mandate," said one woman. "I think in order to get back to anywhere near normal we need a vaccine mandate in place, and I think to keep other people safe it's really important to get vaccinated."
"It's going against everybody's will," a man exclaimed.
The rule will likely affect millions of workers and will also levy substantial fines, up to $14,000 per infraction, against companies that refuse to comply.
Another man took it a step further and asserted that Biden’s mandates even fell short, adding that a nation is "responsible to get people vaccinated" because people who are not vaccinated pose a "public risk and a threat to every other person." He later said he wasn’t angry with the unvaccinated like Biden appeared to be in his Sept. 9 speech—he just thought they were idiots.
The man added people who are not vaccinated should be "compelled" to do so and voiced his approval for more stringent mandates.
Another man disagreed with Biden’s mandate, saying that the rule should only apply to businesses that take federal funds.
Another woman felt Biden’s requirement for 100 and up employee businesses was a good idea because of the "influx" of COVID cases occurring.
"You gotta follow the law, I guess," she added.
New York City is seeing its borough-level vaccination mandates nearly coinciding with Biden’s announcement on the federal level.
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Mayor Bill de Blasio said back in July that he was requiring all New York City employees to be vaccinated or tested once per week for COVID-19 by Sept. 13.
Some restaurants and businesses began enforcing vaccination identification check back in August, with the number steadily growing.
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