Original title: be ready for Omicron! New York promotes the most stringent epidemic prevention requirements in the United States: all private enterprise employees "must be vaccinated"
New York will require all private sector employees in the city to receive the new crown vaccine, which will be the strictest local vaccination regulation in the United States.
On Monday, December 6 local time, New York Mayor Beth Howe said that the new vaccination regulations in New York City will take effect on December 27. All employees of private enterprises, regardless of size, must be vaccinated. On December 15, the mayor's office of New York will also issue a set of agreements applicable to about 18400 enterprises in New York, providing more new rules and regulations, including law enforcement and penalties for violations. Bai Sihao said:
"There will be no alternative testing options."
Bai Sihao further explained that the measure was to slow down the spread of the new variant virus Omicron in New York. In the past month, the infection rate in New York City has nearly doubled, and the variant virus may further aggravate the epidemic in New York. In an interview with MSNBC, Bai Sihao said:
"New York has decided to take the initiative and take bold actions to prevent further spread of COVID-19 and avoid its danger to the whole city."
The severely mutated Omicron variant has been confirmed in at least 17 states in the United States, and U.S. health officials expect it to spread rapidly. Scientists around the world are stepping up their research on whether Omicron is more infectious, lethal or can escape the protection of the vaccine than previous strains.
In this context, Bai Sihao added:
"Omicron is right here, and it looks very contagious. What's worse, it appears in winter."
In addition, if New York City is dissatisfied with the new vaccine regulations, business groups can appeal the new regulations in the court. In this regard, Bai Sihao and Georgia Pestana, the chief lawyer of New York City, said they believe that this provision can successfully meet any legal challenges.