Miami-Dade County reinstates mask mandate in all county facilities

Starting Friday, anyone who gets a first dose of any Covid-19 vaccine at a New York city-run vaccination site will be given $100, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Wednesday.

The incentive is open to all New York City residents and employees who have not yet received a first vaccine dose. Those with an email address will immediately be issued a $100 digital debit card upon getting their first Covid-19 vaccine at a site run by the city. Those without an email address will be mailed a physical prepaid debit card, said Rachel Loeb, president of the NYC Economic Development Corporation. 

To date, the city has administered 9,902,097 vaccine doses and over 4.9 million New Yorkers (comprising over 59% of the city’s overall population) have received at least one dose, de Blasio said. 

Asked what he would say to New Yorkers who got vaccinated early without needing any incentive, de Blasio said, “anyone who got vaccinated previously, I’m one of those people – congratulations, you got vaccinated, you were protected from Covid, it was free, it was the right thing to do for yourself, for your family, for your community – you did the right thing. And the reward is, you were kept safe.” 

Regarding whether the city was considering mandating Covid-19 vaccines for children over the age of 12, de Blasio said city health officials continue to “constantly look at the data and the science” and will make any future decisions accordingly. 

The mayor reiterated that anyone wishing to attend any of the five “NYC Homecoming” concerts in-person next month will be screened for proof of vaccination upon arrival. While city officials will be planning concerts in the outer boroughs, the week of concerts will culminate in a Central Park concert produced by Clive Davis. De Blasio noted that using a forged vaccination card is a crime that comes with a potential penalty of prison time.