By Nathalie Voit

New York City is set to lift its vaccination requirements for indoor public spaces and mask mandates for public schools starting on Monday, March 7, mayor of New York Eric Adams said in an announcement on Feb.27.

The city was the first major American metropolis to require proof of vaccination for indoor businesses, indoor dining, indoor gyms, indoor entertainment, and other indoor public activities, according to NBC News. The “Key to NYC Pass,” as the pro-vaccination program was called, was instituted in mid-August last year under former NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio.

The city-wide vaccination pass was imposed to encourage residents to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

“It is time for people to see vaccinations as literally necessary to living a good, full, and healthy life,” the former mayor said last year. “If you’re unvaccinated, unfortunately, you will not be able to participate in many things.”

The public health measures passed under de Blasio are now set to expire. On Sunday, mayor Eric Adams announced his administration’s plans to lift the months-long mandates pending COVID-19 cases continue to trend downward.

“New York City’s numbers continue to go down day after day, so, as long as COVID indicators show a low level of risk and we see no surprises this week, on Monday, March 7, we will lift Key2NYC requirements,” Adams said in the announcement. “This will give business owners the time to adapt and will allow us to ensure we are making the best public health decisions for the people of New York.”

The administration will also lift the indoor mask mandates for public schools, given no unexpected spikes in COVID-19 caseloads arise over the week.

“If we see no unforeseen spikes and our numbers continue to show a low level of risk, New York City will remove the indoor mask mandate for public school children, effective next Monday, March 7,” the mayor said.

“Our schools have been among the safest places for our children since the beginning of the pandemic, and we will continue to make the proper public health decisions to keep our kids safe, including making masks available for any child or school staff member who wishes to continue wearing them,” he added.

The news comes following a string of vaccination requirement lifts across major U.S. metropolitan areas. Most recently, public health officials in Seattle announced plans to lift their vaccine verification requirements as early as March 1.

In Boston, indoor mask requirements for the city’s public schools ended on Feb. 28, following Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker’s decision to lift mask mandates for schools earlier this month.

“Given the extremely low risk to young people, the widespread availability and the proven effectiveness of vaccines, and the distribution of accurate test protocols and tests, it’s time to give our kids a sense of normalcy and lift the mask mandate on a statewide basis for schools,” Baker said at a news conference, according to NBC Boston.