There are few things more refreshing than a beautiful sunset.
But not for New York beachgoers, as the City Council is poised to pass a law that will effectively end summer vacation.
The council is set to vote on the legislation at its Wednesday meeting, which has been postponed several times this year due to the high cost of healthcare and other government priorities.
“It is an attempt to take advantage of the summer vacation by allowing the City to provide a public health measure that will allow us to address the problem of infectious disease,” said Councilmember Yael Luria, who is the bill’s sponsor.
Luria and Councilwoman Yvonne Nestor have proposed a bill that would allow for mandatory vaccinations for anyone who is not immunized for at least two years.
That would include everyone who lives within 100 meters of a beach, even if they don’t surf, swim or bike there.
The measure would also extend the deadline for people to get vaccinations for people living on Staten Island, where more than 30,000 people have tested positive for coronavirus this year.
“I think it is going to be a success,” Nestor said of the measure.
The legislation has been in the works for months, but a key sticking point is how much the City will pay for the shots, which would be reimbursed through insurance.
Currently, insurance companies are reimbursed only through an annual fee that covers the cost of the shots.
The bill would provide the city with a mechanism for the insurers to deduct the cost, with the money paid into the general fund and used for other programs.
It also would require the city to provide all of its residents with a copy of their vaccination records, allowing them to request their records, and ensure that the City pays the cost to those who do not have insurance.
The city has a $4 million surplus, according to a report by the city’s fiscal affairs office, and is also on track to meet the federal government’s goal of having 95 percent of its citizens vaccinated by May.
The measure is expected to be defeated, however, as it has been viewed as a political hit to Mayor Bill de Blasio, who has been the driving force behind the measure, and the administration has repeatedly denied the proposal is a political stunt.