Tourists coming to New York will be vaccinated against COVID-19 for free

New York City wants to deploy mobile COVID-19 vaccination sites for visiting tourists. This is done in order to revive the tourism industry after the pandemic. NBC.

The program is aimed at tourists who will be vaccinated with Johnson & Johnson vaccines for free at popular attractions. This vaccine requires just one shot. At the same time, the immune response is formed within several weeks, which calls into question the security of tourists vaccinated in this way during their stay in New York.

City Mayor Bill de Blasio noted that in order to implement this idea, the state needs to slightly change the vaccination rules and allow non-New Yorkers to vaccinate. The mayor's office is already working with the governor's office to resolve this issue.

De Blasio says mobile vaccination vans will be ready to launch this weekend (May 8-9) at various tourist destinations including the Empire State Building, Times Square, Park High Line and Central Park. However, they will not start vaccinating until approved by the state.

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“This is a positive signal for tourists. Come here, it is safe, very safe, and we will take care of you, ”said de Blasio. "We'll make sure you get vaccinated while you're here."

The idea of ​​vaccinating tourists is prompted by the city hoping to recoup about $ 60 billion in annual economic contributions from tourism and nearly 90 industry jobs that were lost due to the quarantine.

This week it became known that in mid-September Broadway will resume its work... Before the pandemic, nearly 250 people watched the Broadway show every week. In addition, New York State will begin to loosen social distancing measures in mid-summer, and New York City will begin to relax 000% on July 1. will open businesses.