NYC Restaurant Workers Can Now Get Vaccine, But Unlikely Before Indoor Dining Starts

NYC’s restaurant workers can now receive the COVID-19 vaccine after Governor Cuomo gave the go-ahead yesterday to include them in the state’s 1B rollout plan. Mayor de Blasio also confirmed the news this morning.

According to the state’s vaccine distribution info page, “it may be 14 or more weeks before an appointment is available.” And yet, this change comes just 11 days before indoor dining is set to resume in NYC, when the average case count in the city is 64% higher than it was when indoor dining was shut down in December.

On Tuesday, February 2nd, Governor Cuomo announced that it would be up to local governments to determine a distribution plan for the newest groups added to the 1B vaccine category (which, other than restaurant workers, now includes taxi drivers, people who are developmentally disabled, and those who work with developmentally disabled communities).

As always, the state’s announcements have felt like a policy seesaw. On Monday, February 1st, the governor said the state didn’t have enough supplies to vaccinate restaurant workers. Now, it’s been announced that the federal vaccine supply will increase 20 percent over the next three weeks.

You can see all of the groups eligible for vaccination here, and find more information on the announcement about reopening NYC’s indoor dining here.

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