Kyrie Irving Cleared To Play Brooklyn Nets Home Games As New York Lifts Vaccine Mandate For Athletes & Performers; Corporate And City Workers Still Need Shots – Update

UPDATED with official confirmation and comment. New York City Mayor Eric Adams made it official today, announcing in a press conference at Citi Field that athletes and performers would no longer have to be vaccinated against Covid.

The relaxation of the mandate means Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving will be able to suit up for home games, starting Sunday. Unvaccinated New York Yankees and Mets baseball players, among them Aaron Judge and Max Scherzer will also be able to play home  games when the baseball season starts next month.

Employees of private companies and municipal agencies will still have to comply with the mandates. The city in recent months forced out any city workers, including police, firefighters and other essential workers, who refused to get vaccinated. The move prompted protests and lawsuits and union leaders have threatened further action.

In the news conference, Adams acknowledged the delicate balance he had to strike. While “players attract people to the stadium,” in turn stimulating the city’s economy, he said the carve-out didn’t mean that workers who had been let go could be immediately re-hired.

“I’m going to make some tough choices. People are not going to agree with some of them,” Adams said. “I must move this city forward.”

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Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving will be able to play at home court Barclays Center in the NBA playoffs. Aaron Judge and Max Scherzer will take the field at Yankee Stadium and Citi Field soon for the New York Yankees and Mets, respectively.

That’s the upshot of an anticipated announcement on Thursday by New York Mayor Eric Adams. He is expected to lift proof of vaccination requirements for professional athletes and performers working in New York City, which means Irving and other unvaccinated performers can get to work.

The Adams move will remove absurdities in the application of the mandates. Visiting athletes in the NBA were not subject to vaccination requirements that Irving was expected to meet, and it was okay for Irving to practice and sit in the stands during games. But taking the floor was forbidden.

While sports fans rejoiced at the news, municipal and private company workers will have to continue with the vaccination proofs. That has already led to layoffs and dismissals throughout the city, and a strain on restaurants, bars and other businesses that rely on a robust workforce.

The move by Adams is a surprise, since he previously showed disdain for the idea that Irving was locked out of the playoffs through the bureaucracy. At one point, he responded to a media question on Irving by saying, “Kyrie can play tomorrow. Get vaccinated.”

The news was first reported by Politico.

Adams recently ended mask mandates for schools, restaurants and gyms.

Adams, who has been singularly focused on the city’s recovery from the pandemic, has ended other restrictions as coronavirus cases dropped over the last month. He recently ended a mask mandate for schools and a proof-of-vaccination policy for restaurants and gyms.