Travelers visiting popular attractions in New York City will soon be able to get Johnson & Johnson's one-shot COVID-19 vaccine, The Wall Street Journal reported May 6.
The city plans to offer the shot at attractions such as Central Park and the Empire State Building by setting up mobile vans there, Mayor Bill de Blasio said during a news conference.
"We want to go the extra mile, make it easy for tourists," Mr. de Blasio said. "If they're here, get vaccinated while you're here. It makes sense to put mobile vaccination sites where the tourists are."
Currently, only people living or working in New York can be vaccinated there, with the plan to offer tourists the vaccine still in need of state approval. The mayor said they're "ready to go this weekend" with the vaccination vans, and are just awaiting approval.
The plan is part of a larger effort to revive the city's tourism industry, which isn't expected to return to pre-pandemic levels until 2024, the Journal reports.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced May 3 that the state would end most COVID-19 related capacity restrictions starting May 19.