People who read this blog more than occasionally will be aware that I am not a big fan of Americans. Their widespread ignorance, their collective solipsism, their endless bruiting about being "the greatest nation on earth" are off-putting, to put it mildly.
However, once in awhile, some of them make sane, logical and admirable decisions that would be churlish not to acknowledge.
One such decision has been made by Bill de Blasio, mayor of New York City.
New York City will become the first U.S. city to require proof of vaccination for a variety of activities for workers and customers — indoor dining, gyms and movie theaters — a move intended to put pressure on people to get vaccinated, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Tuesday.
The restrictions, similar to mandates issued in France and Italy last month, represent the most aggressive response to lagging vaccination rates in the United States, and they come as the number of virus cases surge across the country. Mr. de Blasio said he hoped that other cities would implement similar measures.
“This is a miraculous place literally full of wonders,” Mr. de Blasio said. “If you’re vaccinated, all that’s going to open up to you. But if you’re unvaccinated, unfortunately you will not be able to participate in many things.”
A contrast to the benighted 'leadership' on display in Florida, where even mask mandates are forbidden, de Blasio recognizes the power of both the carrot and the stick. The carrot, of course, is that the vaccinated can move about freely to patronize gyms, restaurants, bars, museums, Broadway plays, etc. and the stick is the exclusion of those obdurately opposed to vaccines from such venues.
There is evidence that de Blasio's strategy is spreading.
Vaccine mandates are accelerating across the country, as both municipalities and private businesses have adopted them. On Tuesday, Tyson Foods told its 120,000 workers in offices, slaughterhouses and poultry plants across the country that they would need to be vaccinated by Nov. 1 as a “condition of employment.” And Microsoft, which employs roughly 100,000 people in the United States, said it would require proof of vaccination for all employees, vendors and guests to gain access to its offices.
President Biden said on Tuesday that he believed other cities should follow New York City’s lead in requiring proof of vaccination for restaurants and gyms.
“You have to give proof that you’ve been vaccinated or you can’t come in,” Mr. Biden told reporters.
Sadly, such a sane approach to opening things up and instilling peace of mind in potential patrons is lacking in places like Ontario. Premier Ford has said he does not want to split society.
I guess he did not get the memo that we already are split, and the gulf is growing wider daily. Letting the tail wag the dog is never a good approach to public policy, especially when it comes to public health.
