Office Of The Mayor Of New York City: Transcript: Mayor De Blasio Appears Live On CNN

West Village NY

22 December, 2021

12:51 PM

Description

Press release from Office of the Mayor of New York City: December 22, 2021 John Berman: New York City will be getting help from the federal government to address shortages of COVID tests that have caused long lines and wait times ahead of the Christmas holiday. This, as the City announced a hundred-dollar incentive for residents to get booster shots before New Year's Eve. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio joins me now. Mayor, any sense on how successful the hundred-dollar incentive has been so far?  Mayor Bill de Blasio: Well, John, every time we've issued an incentive, people pick up on it quickly and I think this is going to make a big difference. You're going to see tens of thousands of New Yorkers come out, get that booster shot before the end of the month. And we need them to. I mean, Omicron is here, it's coming on like a freight train. But what we know from our health care leaders is, the booster makes a huge difference in minimizing the effects of Omicron. So, I think this incentive's going to help. And then, on Monday, we put in place our mandate for all private sector employees to get vaccinated. And that is the difference-maker we're looking forward to, having everyone vaccinated.  Berman: So, Omicron is coming on like a freight train. How do you feel about people coming to New York City to shop, to celebrate the holidays, to eat in restaurants while this freight train is barreling through?  Mayor: I feel great about people who are vaccinated, that's just the bottom line. We have had strong vaccine mandates here in this city, the including for indoor dining and entertainment. It's one of the reasons this city has been one of the healthiest places in the country. We, obviously – we're all feeling the effect of the sudden surge from Omicron, but our doctors say it will be a brief – a very tough few weeks, but a brief few weeks. So, the key is to keep getting folks vaccinated and getting people to get those boosters, because that's what gives us freedom. Vaccination equals freedom at this point. And we've got to get past this period, but the only way to do it is to really deeply expand vaccination.  Berman: I get that. And we're talking about people getting shots that have an affect two weeks from now, the booster as well. But I really do want to know about today, tomorrow, Friday – what kind of behavioral changes are you calling for among vaccinated and-or boosted people?  Mayor: John, it's important to say this clearly. We are not telling people to hide, or hunker down, or surrender to this situation. We're telling people to be smart. If you're not feeling well, stay home for sure. If you might have been exposed, get a test and act accordingly, depending on the result. Of course, if you're a vulnerable person, older with serious preexisting conditions, limit the kinds of things you go to. But we're not telling vaccinated people to stop living their lives. We're saying take – you know, climb that ladder of vaccination. If you haven't done the full vaccination course yet, go do it. Keep living, because we're not going to shut down. I want to be very clear. I do not believe in shutdowns. Shutdowns are counterproductive at this point. Vaccination is the key and there's still plenty more people who could get vaccinated or get that  booster.   Berman: So, CVS and Walgreens just announced they're going to limit the number of rapid tests that you can buy. I know the President announced that he's going to flood the zone with 500 million tests, but that won't come till January. I mean, the bottom line is, and I keep saying this, we need those tests yesterday, Mayor. I mean, how much of a shortage is there right now between demand and need?  Mayor: We really need those at home tests. It's a problem we don't have them. And I think the President should take the Defense Production Act and take it to the maximum, because we're going to need billions over the next few months – billions of at-home tests. But, for now, thank God, John, we have 112 test centers opened are City-run, in addition to many, many more that are private. Sure, there's lines, but you can get a test for sure. You can get a test in New York City. And you can definitely get vaccinated. You can definitely get a booster at places all over the city for free. We'll even go to your home. I want you to hear this, we'll go to your home in New York City, vaccinate any family member of needs it – first, second shot, or booster – and give each one a hundred-dollar incentive for getting vaccinated. That's how aggressive our effort is.  Berman: You said you're against lockdowns and people shouldn't hide from this. The Mayor-elect, Eric Adams, has canceled his inauguration ceremony. Given the fact that you say that we shouldn't lock down or change our behavior [inaudible] are you saying that's a mistake?  Mayor: He and I have talked about each of the steps we're taking. We're working really, really closely in transition here. And his was going to be an indoor event and he felt it did not make sense in this environment. I understood that. But what I can say is, what we're finding, first of all, all the outdoor events, obviously, that's preferable. But second, when you have a vaccinated-only setting and a lot of other health and safety measures that have been put in place, that's how we get through these tough few weeks at Omicron. We have the tools. We've got to use them very consistently. Vaccinated-only settings are so important at this point.   Berman: Let's talk about New Year's Eve, because the New Year's Eve celebration was always going to be a vaccinated-only ceremony. And it was going to – it is – I guess, or was, I don't know – going to be outdoors. You said you're going to make a decision about whether to allow this mass celebration in Times Square. You're going to make that decision by Christmas. Where are you in your thinking this morning?  Mayor: So, in working with the sponsors of the event, working with our health care leaders, right now, two great virtues – all vaccinated audience and outdoors. We're looking to add additional measures to make it even safer. So, we're still in discussion. The goal, of course, is to keep it going, because it's such an important event for New Yorkers and for the whole world. But if we're able to figure out the right formula to keep people safe, that's what we're working on right now.   Berman: What additional measures are being discussed?  Mayor: I don't want to go into the details, because they're under discussion. But there's always additional things we can do in any setting. And the important thing is, of course, to listen to our health care leaders about what tools will work. But what I feel is, this is just one example of so many other things. We should not assume the answer to Omicron is shut down. We should assume the answer to Omicron is find the measures that work to keep things moving.  Berman: Sounds like you're telling me it's going to happen one way or another.  Berman: Let me ask you – you talked about the vaccine requirement on December 27th, that's for two doses or one dose of J&J. You're not going to be mayor in a few weeks anymore. But if you were, would you make that requirement include booster shots as well?  Mayor: Well, John, the way we structured the requirement is, if you haven't had any vaccination at all, then get that first one and get the second one when the timeline is appropriate a month later or so. But I think there's a great argument for boosters being part of such a plan. We're talking about that right now. We're talking with the new administration coming in. We'll have more to say on that. But I think the bottom line is, we have seen the power of vaccine mandates. There's 90 percent-plus of adults in New York City who have had at least one dose and mandates were a big part of that. We want to make sure it's full protection and boosters obviously are making a big difference, particularly against Omicron.   Berman: Mayor Bill de Blasio. We appreciate you being with us this morning. Merry Christmas, if we don't see you. Happy New Year. One way or the other, thank you for your time.   Mayor: Very Merry Christmas. Happy New Year to you, John.  ### This press release was produced by Office of the Mayor of New York City. The views expressed here are the author's own.