- Title: 'America is free' - NYC kid crafters debate new vaccine mandate
- Date: 14th December 2021
- Summary: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (DECEMBER 13, 2021) (REUTERS) SIGN FOR "THE GIANT ROOM" / WORKSPACE AND PROJECTOR VARIOUS OF KIDS CRAFTING SIGN ON GROUND FOR "RAMI," NEW YORK FIRST GRADER, 6, RAMI ELWAKIL, (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEW YORK FIRST GRADER, 6, RAMI ELWAKIL, SAYING: "I don't think people should have a choice because you have to get it or else you won't, you'll get COVID and you won't be able to go anywhere." WORKSPACE NEW YORK SECOND GRADER, 7, DJUNA PARTEGAS PASCHER, DRAWING ON FLOOR (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEW YORK SECOND GRADER, 7, DJUNA PARTEGAS PASCHER, SAYING: "I got my first one on Saturday." REPORTER ASKING: "What was that like?" PARTEGAS PASCHER, SAYING: "It was OK, kinda threw a fit, but then like, it was OK after." PARTEGAS PASCHER WEARING MASK (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEW YORK SECOND GRADER, 7, DJUNA PARTEGAS PASCHER "No, because then if they have a choice (to get vaccinated), they might get sick and they might get COVID and they might die or like, go to the hospital." CHILDREN'S SHOES ON GROUND / KIDS CRAFTING VARIOUS OF KIDS WORKING WITH LAPTOP VARIOUS OF NEW YORK THIRD GRADER, 9, CHLOE ZHOU-DONOHUE, CRAFTING (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEW YORK THIRD GRADER, 9, CHLOE ZHOU-DONOHUE, SAYING: "People should have a choice to get a shot or not. REPORTER ASKING: "Why?" ZHOU-DONOHUE, SAYING: "Because if they don't want it, it's kind of like, America is free." ART ON WALL VARIOUS OF GIRL DRAWING HEART (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEW YORK ENTREPRENEUR AND MOTHER, CECIL SEREIGON, SAYING: "I agree with this mandate. I think it's necessary in order to, our kids to have a normal life and go to school, play with other kids and don't be afraid to be sick." SEREIGON HUGGING DAUGHTER (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEW YORK ENTREPRENEUR AND MOTHER, CECIL SEREIGON, SAYING: "I understand that kind of fear (over taking vaccines on this timetable), but I think so far the vaccines have proven to be reliable. And what is worse, the risk to get your child sick, and your family and your friends get sick with COVID, or take a very calculated risk, get vaccinated and move on. End this pandemic." VARIOUS OF KIDS CRAFTING (SOUNDBITE) (English) GIANT ROOM FOUNDER AND CEO, AZADEH JAMALIAN, SAYING: "To be honest to you, I'm very thankful (for the mandate), because obviously health is not my expertise. And thinking about how kids learn and how we should educate them and create that amazing learning experience is my expertise and that's what I want to focus on. And when it comes about their health and safety, I always look out for people who have the experience and have the expertise and authority to actually tell us what's good and what's not, based on the data and the information they have. And I'm happy that the government is stepping in and coming up with certain rules and regulations, which make it easy for us as small business owners to really tell our community what we think is the safest for them" VARIOUS OF KIDS CRAFTING (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEW YORK SECOND GRADER, 7, DJUNA PARTEGAS PASCHER, SAYING: "I think it's not it [the vaccine] doesn't hurt that much, it's not too painful because, like um, it's a very small shot and it won't hurt that badly because it's a very skinny needle." VARIOUS OF KIDS' SHOES ON GROUND EXTERIOR OF "THE GIANT ROOM" SIGN FOR FACE MASK REQUIREMENT / VACCINE REQUIREMENT EXTERIOR OF "THE GIANT ROOM" EXTERIOR
- Embargoed: 28th December 2021 01:47
- Keywords: Bill de Blasio COVID-19 Eric Adams Manhattan The GIANT Room West Chelsea coronavirus kids vaccincation mandate
- Location: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
- City: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
- Country: USA
- Topics: Health/Medicine,United States
- Reuters ID: LVA001F7VDE87
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: As New York City expanded its array of COVID-19 mandates on Monday (December 13), setting vaccine requirements for children as young as 5 years old, kid crafters of Manhattan were largely on board, they said in interviews with Reuters.
The new expanded mandate also covers workers at all private-sector companies and comes as the highly transmissible Omicron variant pushes into more U.S. states.
The most-populous U.S. city set a Dec. 27 deadline for all 184,000 businesses within its limits to make their employees show proof they have been vaccinated, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.
In addition, children 5 to 11 years old must get at least one dose by Dec. 14 and those 12 and older need to be fully vaccinated by Dec. 27 to enter restaurants and participate in extracurricular school activities, such as sports, band and dances.
Children were processing the mandate as they partook in a class at the GIANT Room innovation hub in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan.
They drew, they played on their computers and echoed the range of views espoused by adult U.S. citizens.
"I don't think people should have a choice," New York first grader, six-year old, Rami Elwakil, told Reuters. "Or else... you'll get COVID and you won't be able to go anywhere."
Vaccination mandates are a divisive issue nationally, and some children at the Art and STEM studio expressed wariness over having their hand forced.
"America is free," New York third grader, nine-year old, Chloe Zhou-Donoue, told Reuters. "People should have a choice to get a shot or not."
De Blasio's successor, Eric Adams, will evaluate the mandate and other strategies to combat the pandemic when he takes office in January, his spokesperson, Evan Thies, said.
The mandate means that many young people, or their parents, will need to scramble to get a shot to keep eating out or participating in after-school activities. Only about 27% of New Yorkers ages 5 to 12 have taken at least one dose and just 15% are fully vaccinated, according to the city's website.
For adult New Yorkers, vaccination rates are much higher. About 89% have received at least one vaccine dose, topping the national rate of 83.5% reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Parents at GIANT were sure any risk was worth it, even for young children.
"I understand that kind of fear," people have, New York entrepreneur and mother, Cecil Sereigon, told Reuters. "But I think so far the vaccines have proven to be reliable. And what is worse, the risk to get your child sick, and your family and your friends get sick with COVID, or take a very calculated risk, get vaccinated and move on. End this pandemic."
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