Faced with the rebound in Covid-19 cases recorded in New York, “Big Apple” wants to accelerate vaccination. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Wednesday that, from now on, all people who are vaccinated will receive the sum of 100 dollars (84 euros).
The measure will come into force on Friday and will only concern people who will be administered their first dose of anti-Covid vaccine, in a center deployed by the town hall, said the democratic councilor at a press conference.
“I think if someone says ‘here’s $ 100 for you’ it can have a big impact,” said Bill de Blasio, the prompting explicitly aimed at convincing the undecided. Nearly six in ten New Yorkers (59%) have received at least one dose of the vaccine (71% of the adult population), which is not enough, lamented the 60-year-old mayor, who is expected to step down. in November.
These millions of New Yorkers already vaccinated will not be entitled to the reward. Asked about this apparent injustice, the mayor replied, addressing them: “It was the right thing to do for yourself, for your family, for your community. You did the right thing and the reward is that you stayed safe and are alive because of it ”.
Other incentives already in place
This new incentive, which is in addition to others already in place in New York (lottery tickets, burger and fries or tickets to visit monuments of the city), aims to try to contain the increase in traffic of the city. virus, linked to the progression of the Delta variant. Today, nearly 1,000 new cases are recorded every day in the New York city, against 200 to 250 in early July.
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With the same goal in mind, Bill de Blasio had already announced Monday that from September 13, all city officials (more than 300,000 people), including police, firefighters and teachers, should either be vaccinated or undergo tests weekly. A similar decision was taken on Wednesday by New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo concerning the state’s 130,000 civil servants. Hospital staff in contact with patients must be vaccinated.
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