NYC Mayor Says Can’t Make Vaccine Exception for Kyrie Irving

(Bloomberg) -- New York City Mayor Eric Adams said that he can't make a vaccine exception for Kyrie Irving, the Brooklyn Nets basketball star who is prevented from playing in home games at the Barclays Center because he's not vaccinated.

He said the city had no plans to lift a vaccine mandate for businesses instituted by former Mayor Bill de Blasio and that it was “imperative for businesses to continue to create a safe environment for their employees,” Adams said during a Monday press briefing.

The city's vaccine rule prevents unvaccinated athletes from playing in home games but lets visiting players under the same circumstance participate, a distinction NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has said creates a double standard. Adams has said he has spoken to Silver and agrees that the rule is “unfair,” but that he's concerned about sending the wrong message to New Yorkers who have gotten vaccinated.

“We can instantly get Kyrie to play, just get that shot in the arm,” Adams said in a Bloomberg Television interview on Monday. “One individual cannot impact the rules for all of us and so I'm hoping that he understands the importance of vaccination as a major symbol.”

Differing Mandates

Although Adams is holding fast to the vaccine mandate for private employers, he is moving to lift rules for wearing masks at schools on March 7 and dropping the requirement to show proof of vaccination at restaurants, bars, gyms, theaters and other public indoor venues.

He declined to go into specifics but said the distinction was one made by the city's medical professionals: “When I sat down with the doctors, because I always stated we're going to go based on the science, they were clear. They said ‘Eric we can remove the Key2NYC that [required the vaccine at] gyms, restaurants and others but we need to keep in place the mandate for professional employees and workers,'” he said during the Monday briefing.

He said the “primary goal” of the vaccine mandate for restaurants and bars was to push New Yorkers to get their shots. “I believe we've accomplished that,” he said, pointing to the 77% of people in the city who are fully vaccinated. When asked whether individual restaurants or bars could legally implement their own vaccine mandates for customers, Adams said he'd have to consult the city's lawyers.

Kyrie Irving, who has been playing in the team's road games since early January, recently said he feels “no guilt” for his decision not to get vaccinated.

The team originally said ahead of the regular season that Irving wouldn't play with the team until he was eligible to be a “full participant.” After a spate of injuries and players entering the NBA's health and safety protocols, the Nets had a change of heart, announcing in mid-December that Irving could re-join the team for games and practices he was eligible to take part in.

The executive order issued by de Blasio's administration in August required proof of Covid-19 vaccination to enter covered entities, including sports arenas, for patrons and staff, like athletes. However, visiting teams were exempt from the mandate. Similar rules were in place for performing artists.