BACK ON THE COURT: Mayor Adams To Lift COVID Vaccine Mandate For NYC’s Pro Athletes

The new rules are expected to restore full eligibility for unvaccinated Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving and allow any unvaccinated members of the New York Yankees and Mets to appear in home games when Major League Baseball opens its season April 7. Politico first reported Adams’ plan, which is expected to be formally announced Thursday.

The city’s private-sector mandate, which was put into place in late December, has required employees “who perform in-person work or interact with the public” to show proof of vaccination.

Adams has gradually rolled back the city’s regulations as coronavirus cases have dropped significantly since the peak of the omicron wave in December and January. Earlier this month, he lifted a vaccine mandate for citizens attending entertainment venues, eating indoors at restaurants and using fitness centers. Adams also lifted a mask mandate for public schools starting March 7 and announced plans to institute a similar policy for day-care centers beginning April 4.

Irving, who has been unable to play games at Madison Square Garden and Barclays Center, could make his first home appearance as soon as Sunday against the Charlotte Hornets. The seven-time all-star has been limited to 19 appearances this season entering Wednesday but remains a key piece to the Nets’ playoff hopes. The 30-year-old guard has averaged 27.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game, and he scored a career-high 60 points in a win over the Orlando Magic last week.

In recent months, prominent members of the NBA community, including Commissioner Adam Silver, Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James and Nets forward Kevin Durant, have criticized New York City regulations that sidelined Irving but allowed unvaccinated members of visiting teams to play in the city.

Silver publicly lobbied on Irving’s behalf for the first time in February, asserting during an ESPN interview that New York City’s vaccine mandate “doesn’t make sense” because it holds New York-based players to a different standard than visiting players. At his All-Star Weekend address in Cleveland, Silver added that he expected New York City’s restrictions to be lifted if “local rates of infection and testing . . . continue to come down.”

The pushback to New York’s regulations intensified when Irving was allowed to attend Nets games at Barclays Center as a fan under the revised guidelines but was still barred from playing. The NBA later fined the Nets $50,000 for allowing Irving to enter the locker room following a March 13 home win over the New York Knicks.

“It literally makes ABSOLUTELY ZERO SENSE!!!” James wrote on Twitter. “They say if common sense was common then we’d all have it. Ain’t that the truth. #FreeKyrie.”

Durant said that the rules were “ridiculous” on March 13, calling out Adams by name while asserting that “someone is trying to make a statement or point to flex their authority.”

In a follow-up statement, Durant clarified that he “appreciate[s] the task the Mayor has in front of him with all the city has been through,” adding that his “frustration with the situation doesn’t change the fact that I will always be committed to helping the communities and cities I live in.”

Despite the criticism sparked by Irving’s ordeal, Adams said as recently as last week that his focus was on New York’s “9 million people” rather than “one person.” He also encouraged Irving to get vaccinated.

In New York City, 86 percent of the citywide population has received at least one vaccine dose and 77 percent is fully vaccinated. The citywide case count has dropped from a seven-day average of more than 44,000 on Jan. 5 to 806 on March 20.

(c) 2022, The Washington Post · Ben Golliver