Covid-19 vaccine for tourists in New York: how much and where can people get it?

New York City has been given approval to vaccinate out-of-towners visiting the city in an effort to draw more tourists to boost the economy and give local residents peace of mind.

"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. It's another reason to be here and know you are going to be taken care of," Mayor Bill de Blasio said during a news conference.

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Where can out-of-city residents get vaccinated in New York?

The city will set up mobile vaccination buses at popular tourist attractions where people can get the one-shot dose of Johnson & Johnson. "We will be in Times Square, Brooklyn Bridge Park, Central Park, the High Line, a variety of locations," Mayor Bill de Blasio said. There will also be other pop-up sites in Brooklyn Bridge Park, Flushing Meadows Park and Sunset Park.

Any US resident over the age of 18, including New Yorkers, can go rain or shine between 1 pm to 8 pm at the locations.

New York City joins other states in lifting residency requirements for covid-19 jab

The Big Apple was given permission by Governor Andrew Cuomo to expand covid-19 vaccination to US residents 16 and older as vaccinations across the state begin to lag. Currently, the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine is only approved for those 18 and older. Access to the vaccine for out-of-towners will only apply to the five boroughs. Currently 18 states and one territory have lifted residency requirements to get an inoculation shot against covid-19.

"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," Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

Will I be able to use a covid-19 passport to say I’m fully vaccinated?

Some venues may require the use of a covid-19 vaccine passport, which can be in the form of a paper certificate or a digital verification of a recent negative covid-19 test or full immunization. In order to be considered fully vaccinated you need to wait two weeks from the time you were vaccinated to give your body time to build up the proper immune defense. The vaccine will not cause you to test positive to a viral test, i.e. a test that would show you are actively infected, so you should be able to show a negative PCR or antigen test if required for entry at a venue even if you get the jab while in town.