All the places in NYC requiring proof of vaccination

August 16, 2021

Starting Tuesday, New Yorkers aged 12 and older must be vaccinated against the coronavirus to partake in indoor dining, fitness, and entertainment. The Key to NYC initiative, which applies to bars, fitness centers, movie theaters, museums, and other indoor venues, requires visitors to show proof of at least one dose of the vaccine. The policy will go into effect on August 17 with enforcement beginning the week of September 13.


Businesses must place this poster in a visible location; courtesy of NYC Mayor’s Office

Earlier this month, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the vaccine requirement would be in place at restaurants, gyms, and indoor performance venues. The Key to NYC Pass was the first of its kind in the United States and was modeled after similar vaccine mandates in Italy and France. Other U.S. cities, including Los Angeles and San Francisco, have followed suit.

New York City’s policy is part of an effort to fight the highly contagious Delta variant of the virus by increasing the city’s vaccination rate. The city is also requiring employees to be vaccinated or get tested weekly for the virus starting September 13. And all new hires by City Hall must be vaccinated.

As of Monday, 56.4 percent of all New Yorkers are fully vaccinated.

“This approach is going to make it clear,” de Blasio said earlier this month. “If you want to enjoy everything great in the summer of New York City, get vaccinated.”

The following indoor activities will require proof of vaccination in New York City starting August 17:

Indoor entertainment

  • Movie theaters
  • Live music
  • Concert venues
  • Museums and galleries
  • Aquariums and zoos
  • Professional sports arenas
  • Stadiums
  • Convention centers
  • Exhibition halls
  • Performing arts theaters
  • Bowling alleys
  • Arcades
  • Pool & billiard halls
  • Recreational game centers
  • Casinos
  • Adult entertainment

Indoor dining

  • Restaurants
  • Catering halls
  • Event spaces
  • Hotel banquet rooms
  • Bars
  • Cabarets
  • Nightclubs
  • Cafeterias
  • Grocery stores with indoor dining
  • Bakeries
  • Coffee shops
  • Fast food with indoor dining

Indoor fitness

  • Gyms
  • Fitness centers
  • Fitness classes
  • Pools
  • Indoor studios
  • Dance studios
  • Sports classes

To show proof of vaccination, New Yorkers can download or print out a physical copy of the state’s Excelsior Pass, use the city’s NYC Covid Safe app, the paper record issued at the time of vaccination by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or an official immunization record.

If you received the vaccine outside the U.S., your immunization record must show first and last name, date of birth, vaccine name (must be authorized by WHO), dates administered, and site where the vaccine was administered, and the person who administered it.

According to the executive order signed by de Blasio on Monday, individuals who are exempt from showing proof of vaccine include individuals entering for a “quick and limited purpose” (like using the bathroom, picking up takeout), a nonresident artist not regularly employed by the venue, a nonresident professional sports team that enters “covered premises as part of their regular employment for purposes of competing,” and individuals accompanying the aforementioned artists and athletes.

Children younger than 12 years old and who are not eligible yet for the vaccine must be accompanied by a vaccinated person.

Businesses must place this poster detailing the new vaccine requirement in a location visible to guests before they enter. All employees at these indoor venues must also be vaccinated, according to the order. According to the city, non-compliant businesses will face fines starting at $1,000 for a first offense beginning during the week of September 13.

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