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While COVID-19 cases in New York City remain low compared to the winter and spring and vaccines have been highly effective, cases are rising both locally and nationally driven by the more contagious Delta variant and unvaccinated members of the population.
Mayor Bill de Blasio is expanding the City’s vaccine mandate to require all city workers to get vaccinated or opt for weekly testing by September 13, and is offering $100 and other incentives to encourage citizens to get vaccinated.
Governor Cuomo has announced that all State workers will be required to be vaccinated by Labor Day or get weekly tests. Patient-facing healthcare workers at State-owned hospitals will not be allowed the testing exemption.
As of July 27, the CDC has updated it’s Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People, which recommends that fully vaccinated people wear a mask in public indoor settings with a substantial or high transmission. At this time, New York City falls under ‘substantial rate of transmission‘. Unvaccinated individuals must continue to wear masks and socially distance in most settings. All in all, the CDC recommendations state that fully vaccinated individuals may resume most activities, so long as they are mindful of the recommended safe practices. Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio have recommended following CDC guidance in regard to mask usage.
The Initiative will continue to keep abreast of the situation, including any future policy changes that may be announced by City and State officials.
In the meantime we urge all community members to get vaccinated. All individuals 12 years and older are eligible for the vaccine via a scheduled appointment or a walk in City-run site. Read more on the New York State vaccine page. Unvaccinated persons or those with symptoms should get tested regularly. A private testing site has opened in the SoHo Broadway district.
Initiative staff members are in the office at 594 Broadway suite 1107 daily to monitor conditions in the district, answer your questions, maintain lines of communication with public agency partners, and support our sanitation and public safety services. The best way to reach staff is via email (staff email addresses are linked here), though you can also call us on our office phone numbers which are linked to our mobile phones.
The Clean Team continues to pick up litter, remove graffiti, and serve as eyes/ears on the street within the SoHo Broadway district.
Our team is here to help guide the SoHo Broadway community through this challenging time; please contact us with any questions or to help with accessing any resources referenced on our site.
The Initiative has gathered COVID-19 resources for residents and businesses here:
