VACCINES & TESTING

Last Updated: 08.23.2022 at 3:30 p.m.

DISCLAIMER

Dance/NYC and Gibney seek to facilitate the sharing of information and resources to the community during this global pandemic. The inclusion of these resources and links are being provided as a convenience and for informational purposes only; they do not constitute an endorsement or approval of the views or values expressed therein nor the validity of such information by Dance/NYC or Gibney. Dance/NYC and Gibney bear no responsibility for the accuracy, legality, or content of the external sites. Please contact the external site for answers to questions regarding its content.

The resources displayed on this page were compiled with the support of The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, Dance/USA, Gibney, New Yorkers for Culture & Arts, The League of American Orchestras, and many colleagues across the field. Thank you.

Does your organization have a resource that you would like included? Please contact reopening@dance.nyc to have your resources added. Thank you.

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Previous Government Mandates

KEY TO NYC:

Businesses including indoor dining, indoor fitness (includes dance and other fitness studios), and indoor entertainment (includes theaters and performance venues) are no longer required by the City to check for proof of vaccination for entry. The city has designated that cultural institutions can determine their own policies regarding masking and vaccination. 

Key to NYC Workplace Vaccination Requirement: All private-sector employers in NYC must see proof of vaccination from their employees. Those employers are required to sign and publicly post an affirmation that they’re complying with the mandate. Also included are rideshare drivers, people who rent space in a coworking office, and therapists who visit clients in their home. The City may fine employers $1,000+ for violations. Visit this City Vaccine Workplace Requirement webpage to learn more about complying with the mandate. Learn more about what employers need to know about the NYC Vaccine Mandate. 

For reference – Key to NYC requirements that were in effect August 2021 through March 2022:

All people over the age of 5 are required to show proof of two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine approved by or authorized for emergency use by the FDA or WHO (except for those 18 years and older who received the single dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine) for indoor dining, indoor fitness (includes dance and other fitness studios), and indoor entertainment (includes theaters and performance venues). The mayor also announced 5-11-year-old children are required to get vaccinated to participate in high-risk extracurricular activities. These activities include sports, band, orchestra, and dance. These requirements also mean that employees working at these locations must be fully vaccinated. People 18 and older are also required to show identification along with their proof of vaccination.

NY HERO Act:

The New York HERO Act, which designated COVID-19 as an airborne infectious disease that presents a serious risk of harm to public health, is no longer in effect. Private sector employers are still required to have an Infectious Disease Exposure Prevention Plan (the “Plan”), but are no longer required to implement the Plan at this time. Employers can adopt a model safety plan as crafted by the New York State Department of Labor, or develop their own safety plan in compliance with the previous HERO Act standards. 

MASK REQUIREMENTS AND UPDATES

CDC:

Check your COVID-19 Community Level on the CDC website to find whether your area is considered low-, medium-, or high-risk for COVID-19, and recommendations for masking. Health officials emphasized that people should still wear face coverings if they wish or if they are personally at high risk, and spaces/venues/organizations may choose to require masks at their own discretion. 

NEW YORK STATE AND CITY:

While state- and city-wide masking mandates have largely been lifted, businesses, local governments, and counties can choose to implement mask mandates. Mandates or recommendations on the local level supersede state mandates. 

Masks are still required in hospitals, nursing homes, shelters, public transportation, and related entities.

New York State and the State’s Department of Health continue to strongly recommend mask-wearing in all public indoor settings as an added layer of protection, even when not required. Unvaccinated individuals continue to be responsible for wearing masks, in accordance with federal CDC guidance. Learn about the best KN95 masks for COVID protection.

INDUSTRY UNION GUIDANCE:

For up-to-date requirements and recommendations for those working within a unionized sector; or to be referenced as Best Practices:

Please note:

Due to changes to NYS COVID-19 Restrictions and New York Forward Industry Guidance, some of the below recommendations have been archived or labeled as a best practice for general maintenance of public health within the workplace. The archived sections are still included within the content of these Standard Recommendations for reference and as a resource should a business wish to continue to abide by archived guidance.

Responsible Parties should be prepared to, at any time, adjust and adapt between various levels of danger zones in the event of positive cases within the organization, an increase in COVID cases in the area, and/or the emergence of new COVID variants of concern.

Visit the News Archive page of this site for an archive of press releases relevant to COVID-19 vaccines.

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Who should get vaccinated?

It’s never been easier to get a vaccination. People ages 6 months and older are eligible for the vaccine. (Note: People under 17 years of age are only eligible for the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.) 

Reminder: Labor Law section 196-b allows employees to use sick leave for the recovery of any side effects of the COVID-19 vaccination and section 197-c allows leave to receive vaccinations. 

The COVID-19 vaccination is recommended for people who are pregnant, breastfeeding, trying to get pregnant now, or might become pregnant in the future.

CDC Guide to Frequently Asked Questions about COVID-19 Vaccination

Vaccine Boosters and Additional Primary Shots:

Vaccine booster shots are now available for all fully vaccinated people 5 years of age and older. These shots boost your immunity from an initial vaccination series. 

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Finding a COVID-19 Vaccine

  • You can find your nearest COVID-19 vaccine site online or call 844-VAX-4NYC.     
  • There are now many walk-up vaccine sites throughout the City where appointments are longer required. Visit the Vaccine Finder site linked directly above and select the “Walk Ups” option. 
  •  For assistance in other languages, visit the Vaccine Finder website and select a language using the drop-down menu in the upper left corner of the webpage, or call 877-VAX-4NYC (877-829-4692), which has interpretation services available in over 200 languages. 
  • Free transportation to vaccination appointments in NYC is available for city residents 65 and older and those with disabilities who have no other way to get to a vaccination site. To arrange for transportation, call 877-VAX-4NYC (877-829-4692).  
  •  NYC residents who cannot leave their home can sign up for an in-home vaccination online or by calling 877-VAX-4NYC (877-829-4692). Even if you received other doses of Pfizer or Moderna through a different program, such as a clinic or mobile vaccination site, you can still receive additional doses at home.

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About Vaccines

Four COVID-19 vaccines are authorized or approved for use in the United States to prevent COVID-19. For primary series vaccination, mRNA COVID-19 vaccines (i.e., Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech) and Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine are recommended. For booster vaccination, mRNA vaccines are recommended; recommendations for booster dose(s) vary based on age, primary series product, and immunocompetence. You may get Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine in some situations.

Below is a description of how each type of vaccine prompts our bodies to recognize and protect us from the virus that causes COVID-19. None of these vaccines can give you COVID-19.

  • Messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech; Moderna) use mRNA created in a laboratory to teach our cells how to make a protein—or even just a piece of a protein—that triggers an immune response inside our bodies. With the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, our cells are taught to create a harmless spike protein, the same protein that is found on the surface of the virus that causes COVID-19, and display this protein on the cell surface. The subsequent immune response produces antibodies and helps to train our immune system to protect us from getting sick from that virus in the future.
  • Protein Subunit vaccines (Novavax) contain pieces (proteins) of the virus that causes COVID-19. These virus pieces are the spike protein. The vaccine also contains another ingredient called an adjuvant that helps our immune system produce antibodies and activate other immune cells to fight off what it thinks is an infection. Once the immune system knows how to respond to the spike protein, the immune system will be able to respond quickly to the actual virus spike protein and protect you against COVID-19.
  • Viral Vector vaccines (Johnson & Johnson / Janssen) contain a version of a harmless virus (“ viral vector” or “vector virus”) which has been modified to include genetic material from the virus that causes COVID-19. The vector virus is a different virus than the one that causes COVID-19. Once the vector virus is inside our cells, the genetic material gives cells instructions to make a harmless spike protein, the same protein that is found on the surface of the virus that causes COVID-19, and display this protein on the cell surface. The subsequent immune response produces antibodies and helps to train our immune system to protect us from getting sick from that virus in the future 

Enroll in v-safe, a CDC app that provides confidential health check-ins via text messages and web surveys so you can share with CDC how you, or your dependent, feel after getting a COVID-19 vaccine. This information helps the CDC monitor the safety of COVID-19 vaccines.

Revisit the Dance/NYC Vaccines for Dancers Town Hall

GUEST SPEAKER RESOURCES (slides)

COVID Update for the Dance Sector from the NYC Department of Health

COVID-19 State of Affairs

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Vaccine Resources

Vaccines for Disabled People

Vaccines for Children and Teens

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Vaccine-Related Data

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Key to NYC Previous Vaccine Mandate – Resources

September 9th: Dance/NYC Field-Wide Call on Key to NYC with DCLA Commissioner Gonzalo Casals

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Vaccine Passports

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Vaccine Policy Implementation

Inform your decision making regarding vaccine policy with resources from the Performing Arts Org Vax Policy Database. The database includes examples of vaccine policies from performing arts organizations across the country.

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Conflict Resolution and De-Escalation Training

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Testing

CDC Recommendations for People with COVID-19 and COVID-19 Close Contacts (updated as of August 2022):

If you tested positive for COVID-19 or have mild symptoms and are waiting for test results:

  • Isolate. Stay at home for at least 5 days.
  • Wear a mask, stay in a separate room from other people, and use a separate bathroom if you can.
  • Do not travel for 10 days.
  • If you can’t wear a mask, stay home and away from other people for 10 days.
  • Contact your healthcare provider to discuss your test results and available treatment options.

At day 6 if symptoms are improving and you have no fever without fever-reducing medication for 24 hours:

  • You can leave isolation.
  • Keep wearing a mask around other people for 5 more days.

If your symptoms are not improving and/or you still have fever:

  • Continue to stay home until 24 hours after your fever stops without using fever-reducing medication and your symptoms have improved.

After you feel completely better, keep wearing a mask around other people at home and in public through day 10.

If you have you been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19:

  • Quarantine: If you are not up to date with COVID-19 vaccines or haven’t had COVID-19 in the past 90 days, stay home and away from other people for at least 5 days. Avoid travel through day 10. If you are up to date or had COVID-19 in the past 90 days you do not have to quarantine.
  • Wear a mask around other people for 10 days.
  • Watch for symptoms of COVID-19 for 10 days.
  • Get tested on or after day 5 or if you have symptoms. People who had COVID-19 in the past 90 days should only get tested if they develop symptoms.

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Testing Resources

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