NYC Mayor Eric Adams ‘Can’t Wait’ to Phase Out Restaurant Vaccine Mandate

Mayor Eric Adams reportedly “can’t wait” to end the city’s vaccine mandate at restaurants, bars, and other indoor establishments. During a press conference in Brooklyn on Wednesday, the NYC mayor told reporters that he intends to roll back the city’s vaccine passport program in the coming weeks, citing a decline in coronavirus cases and noting that any changes hinge on approval from city health officials. The policy, implemented under former mayor Bill de Blasio, was put in place at the peak of the delta variant last August.

“I’m not going to get ahead of the science because I’m ready to get ahead of all of this and get back to a level of normalcy, but they’ve given us clear structures,” Adams said on Wednesday. “They gave us benchmarks. We’re to follow those benchmarks.”

The announcement comes less than a month after Gov. Kathy Hochul dropped the state’s mask-or-vaccine mandate for restaurants and bars, following governors in California, New Jersey, Delaware, and Oregon. Other cities, including Chicago, Boston, and Washington D.C., have ended their vaccine mandates in recent weeks due to a downturn in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations during omicron.

Gorillas walks back 10-minute grocery delivery promise

Gorillas, one of the several companies offering grocery delivery in 10 minutes across NYC, has walked back its trademark promise. The German startup, which launched in the city last spring, stopped promoting its 10-minute delivery times in London, Paris, Madrid, Milan, Munich, and New York, according to Business Insider, and is now advertising delivery “within minutes,” citing the safety of its bike couriers. The report comes days after City Council introduced legislation to ban delivery apps from advertising 15-minute delivery times.

The plan to make outdoor dining permanent inches forward

The city’s permanent outdoor dining plan continues to move forward this week. City Council voted on Thursday to approve a zoning amendment that would legalize sidewalk cafes in more parts of the city (prior to the pandemic, they were only allowed in narrow zones specifically designated for outdoor dining). The vote is a critical first step in making outdoor dining permanent, according to a spokesperson for City Council.

Beefbar is coming to town

Tribeca will soon be home to Beefbar, an upscale restaurant chain with locations in London, Paris, Hong Kong, and Rome. According to the New York Post, the international company has signed a lease for its first U.S. location at 105 Hudson Street, at Franklin Street. The space was previously home to omakase restaurant Nobu.