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New York City Mayor, Democrat Bill de Blasio, said in a press conference Tuesday that once children ages 5 to 11 are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, he may order proof of vaccination for that age group.
When a reporter asked de Blasio if he would require proof of vaccination for children, the Mayor responded that, while this is a “very good question,” it would have to wait until that age group is fully vaccinated to “get that rolling.”
“We want to get to the day when we could actually vaccinate youngest New Yorkers and get that rolling,” de Blasio responded to the press, adding, “We know it will take a while.”
The New York Democrat used the example of the 12-17 age group, saying that 79 % of them are already vaccinated in the city, but that to achieve it took several weeks, although he did not refer to the vaccination test for that specific group.
“I don’t think we are going to settle up immediately because it will naturally take a number for that age group to get vaccinated. But it’s a question we need to answer for the weeks ahead,” de Blasio continued.
Financial incentives
Last week, de Blasio said he likes the idea of offering a $100 incentive to get children ages 5 to 11 vaccinated after the CDC approved Pfizer’s dose for that age group.
“Everyone could use a little more money around the holidays. But, most importantly, we want our kids and our families to be safe,” the Mayor said in the statement accompanying his tweet.
The Democrat also said getting the vaccine now will allow children to be fully vaccinated before Christmas, with the hope that the $100 incentive will prompt people to come forward and get extra money for the holidays.
