NYC Mayor Announces Unvaccinated Athletes Can Now Play in Home Games

He said this was about “putting New York City-based performers on a level-playing field.”

Athletes who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 in New York City are now allowed to play in home games after Mayor Eric Adams announced that athletes and performers no longer have to adhere to the private business vaccine mandate.

“Today, I sign emergency Executive Order 62, expanding the performance exemption to private employer mandates,” Adams said during a news conference at Citi Field on Thursday. “This is about putting New York City-based performers on a level playing field.”

.@NYCMayor at Citi Field: “I want to be clear, expanding this exemption, which only applies to a small number of people, is crucial.”

He’s carving out NYC athletes and performers from the private biz vaccine mandate, eliminating for them— but keeping it for everyone else. pic.twitter.com/2HR0rsUp6h

— Bernadette Hogan (@bern_hogan) March 24, 2022

Adams was referring to the fact that due to the mandate, unvaccinated players for NYC-based teams couldn’t play at home, but unvaccinated players traveling to NYC as an opponent could. Now, Knicks, Nets, Mets and Yankees players can all play home games—even if they are unvaccinated. Most notably, this includes Nets point guard Kyrie Irving. 

The news comes just a day after it was reported that the mandate would likely be changed, and just two days after Adams said professional sports teams would have to wait their turn when addressing the mandate. The mayor has consistently been supportive of the vaccine and kept to that message when speaking about Irving. 

“Kyrie, you should get vaccinated,” Adams said. “This does not change my message that everyone should get vaccinated.”

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