What to Know
- In another attempt to draw out more New Yorkers to get vaccinated, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the "Vax to the Movies" initiative that will bring pop-up vaccination sites to select movie theaters across the city.
- The latest initiative will launch this weekend.
- Currently, theaters fall under the "Key to NYC" vaccination mandate which calls for businesses to require proof of vaccination for a wide range of indoor activities like dining, fitness and entertainment, part of an increasing crackdown on those who remain unvaccinated.
In another attempt to draw out more New Yorkers to get vaccinated, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the "Vax to the Movies" initiative that will bring pop-up vaccination sites to select movie theaters across the city.
The latest initiative will launch this weekend, according to de Blasio.
"You can vaccinated right outside the movie theater and go in and enjoy the movie," the mayor said, adding: "We have found this mobile sites, these pop up sites are some of the most successful things we’ve done in the vaccination effort."
The pop-up vaccination sites will be located outside the following movie theaters:
- AMC Magic Johnson Harlem (Manhattan)
- Regal Union Square (Manhattan)
- Concourse Plaza Multiplex Cinemas (Bronx)
- Regal UA Sheepshead Bay (Brooklyn)
- Regal UA Kaufman Astoria (Queens)
- Regal Bricktown Charlestown (Staten Island)
Get Tri-state area news delivered to your inbox. Sign up for NBC New York's News Headlines newsletter.
"Vax to the Movies" is the latest initiative rolled out by the city in hopes of enticing more individuals to receive their COVID-19 vaccination.
News
"You can get vaccinated, you can get the $100 incentive and you can go to the movies," the mayor said, referring to another initiative the city rolled out late July. SInce then, New York City has been paying $100 to anyone who goes to a city-run vaccination site for their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
"$100 -- that will buy you a lot of popcorn so it is a great moment to get back out there and enjoy," the mayor said.
Currently, theaters fall under the "Key to NYC" vaccination mandate which calls for businesses to require proof of vaccination for a wide range of indoor activities like dining, fitness and entertainment, part of an increasing crackdown on those who remain unvaccinated.
The requirement is a step the city has taken to curb a surge in cases caused by the delta variant. Enforcement of what is being called the "Key to NYC Pass" began Sept. 13. It is its own digital platform, separate from the state's Excelsior Pass, though the latter will also be valid, as will paper vaccination cards.
"We know vaccination works, we know outreach works, we know all the tools – the incentives, the mandates – all the tools together work and we got something great now that goes back to how much we love going out in the city, how much we love enjoying everything the city has to offer," he mayor said.
"Vax to the Movies," a witty word play giving a nod to the classic 1980s sci-fi film "Back to the Future" starring Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd, was announced the same day the mayor revealed that vaccination rates increased since "Key to NYC" launched exactly a month ago.