Giddy that most vaccine mandates in his city have been lifted, Mayor Eric Adams tours businesses in East Village
NEW YORK -- Mayor Eric Adams marked the easing of pandemic restrictions and the lifting of indoor vaccine mandates in many public places with a tour of East Village businesses on Monday that was one part celebration, one part boosterism and two parts quirkiness.
It was the Adams traveling road show, a magical mystery tour with a mayor so happy to throw off some of the bonds of the pandemic the unexpected became the norm and you never knew what exactly would happen next, CBS2's Marcia Kramer reported.
It started off with a heckler, who said, "De Blasio is a low bar."
But Adams was not about to let anyone or anything dim his excitement at finally throwing off some of the shackles of the pandemic.
"Are you smoking a cigarette and you're talking about low bars?" Adams responded.
During his tour of the businesses, no New Yorker -- two- or four-legged -- escaped his attention.
"I love dogs. Yeah, don't you just love me?" he said.
Then there were the two guys on the street with piercings.
"I don't know if it's this year or next year, but I'm gonna get my nose pierced," Adams said.
Skateboarders were irresistible.
"Show me one move," Adams asked, confirming when asked if he wanted to ride a board, "Yes, yes."
OK, so skateboarding in a pair of black dress shoes might not have been the best idea, but the mayor was undaunted. He was also thrilled to meet with restaurant owners who will no longer have to demand proof of vaccination to seat diners.
"The the rules are lifted, so can I give you a hug," he said to thankful owner Barbara Sibley.
Adams explained that his actions were meant to show New Yorkers that, at least for now, things are getting back to normal, and that he's not worried about the naysayers.
"I walk the streets and there are some people who give me the finger and not the thumb? Yes, but that's New York. I mean, that's exciting," he said.
And while many New Yorkers are thrilled, there are some who say they don't want to go into a restaurant and take a chance sitting next to someone who is unvaccinated.
"I don't like it," one woman said, adding when asked if an eatery didn't require proof of vaccination if she'd still go, "Probably not at this point in time."
"I would only go to restaurants if there is hardly anybody there," another woman said.
Kramer asked Adams if he had any concerns about people going to restaurants who don't want to sit next to people who they don't think are vaccinated.
"So, here's the win. Because of the great City Council, we have outdoor dining. So if your not ready to come indoors, you can do it outdoors," Adams said.
And while the mayor ate lunch indoors at the Ukrainian restaurant Vaselka, there were people there who opted for outdoor safety.
"I think that we should be vaccinated. We should prove it. We're still not ready to completely unmask and be free," a woman said.
"I'm just a bit skeptical at this point, so I would feel a little uncomfortable. I'd rather know that people are vaccinated," another person said.
The mayor said he will be ready to pivot back to restrictions if another variant pops up.
And in case you care, the mayor ate vegetarian borscht and rice-stuffed cabbage. He bragged that it was not only a meatless Monday for him, but also a fishless Monday.
