Yahoo Finance N.Y.C. Tourists Can Now Get Vaccinated in Popular Spots Including Central Park
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Tourists traveling to New York City can now get their COVID-19 vaccine in some of the city's most iconic spots.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio made the announcement during a press conference last week, noting that the hope of the immunization rollout is to boost both tourism and overall vaccine numbers.
"We will be in Times Square, Brooklyn Bridge Park, Central Park, the High Line, a variety of locations," de Blasio, 60, said. There will also be other pop-up sites in locations such as Sunset Park and Flushing Meadows Park, per ABC 7.
At the mobile vaccination centers, U.S. tourists will be injected with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which only requires one dose.
Originally, only residents or workers in The Big Apple were allowed to obtain the vaccine within the city, but that changed when New York Governor Andrew Cuomo recently approved the new plan, Travel + Leisure reported.
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"This summer, you're going to see tourism come alive again in New York City, you're going to see a lot of jobs come back because of it. We want to go the extra mile, make it easy for tourists," de Blasio said. "If they are here, get vaccinated while they are here."
"It makes sense to put mobile vaccination sites where the tourists are, that is good for all of us they get vaccinated. It's good for them," he added. "It's another reason to be here and know you are going to be taken care of."
The vaccination hubs come about now as COVID-19 vaccination rates increase, with one third of New Yorkers already fully vaccinated and the state's positive cases reaching a new 6-month low.
De Blasio previously announced last month that New York City plans to fully reopen come July.
"Our plan is to fully reopen New York City on July 1," de Blasio told MSNBC in late April. "We are ready for stores to open, for business to open, offices, theaters — full strength."
