NYC Requires Vaccination for Student Athletes and Coaches

NYC Requires Covid Vaccination for Student Athletes and Coaches

Henry Goldman

20 Aug 2021, 09:55 PM IST

(Bloomberg) -- New York City will require all student athletes and coaching staff to be vaccinated for Covid-19, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Friday.

Participants in fall high-risk sports are required to get their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by the first day of competitive play, which varies by sport. The first day for football is Sept. 3, while volleyball begins Sept. 27. Winter and spring Public School Athletic League participants have until the beginning of their seasons to be fully vaccinated, the Department of Education said in a statement.

The order will apply to all of the city’s leagues engaged in contact sports, such as football, basketball, wrestling, lacrosse and rugby, but also include competitive bowling, which is indoors, the mayor said during an interview on WNYC radio.

Teachers and staff have already been ordered to get vaccinated or submit to weekly Covid-19 testing as part of a mandate covering all of the city’s work force. De Blasio’s school sports edict would require all coaches and support staff to vaccinate, without giving them the testing option.

“This is a new mandate we’re putting into place,” de Blasio said.

The move is yet another push by the de Blasio administration to use a combination of mandates and incentives, including $100 cash cards, to boost the city’s vaccination rate. The city has given out more than 100,000 shots for the past two weeks, the mayor said. About 59% of the first-time vaccine recipients were either Black or Latino, de Blasio said during the radio interview.

About 57% of New York City 12- to 17-year-olds have at least one dose, and families can go to vaccinefinder.nyc.gov to find a convenient vaccination site.

The city has fully vaccinated more than 4.7 million New Yorkers, which is still short of a goal to inoculate of 5 million by June.

The mandate for student athletes will affect about 20,000 students and staff, according the Department of Education. Fully vaccinated participants can remove their masks while engaging in high-risk PSAL activities held outdoors, according to the rules.