Fox News Host Sean Hannity hit back at New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's vaccine passport mandate Tuesday, saying it will disproportionately affect black New Yorkers.
Earlier in the day de Blasio announced that starting August 16, indoor businesses will require customers to show proof of vaccination or otherwise turn them away.
But Hannity said it was hypocritical for de Blasio, a Democrat, to require documentation for customers to enter places of business after Democrats have strongly criticized voter ID laws as discriminatory.
'Anyone that wants to dine indoors, or go to the gym or do pretty much anything inside, you will need to present documents proving that you have been vaccinated.
'Remember for months now Democrats insisted that all forms of voter ID, yeah they're racist. They called voter verification voter ID laws 'Jim Crow of the 21st century' and 'Jim Crow 2.0''
'But apparently identification for daily activities is Democratic approved,' he said.
Fox News host Sean Hannity suggested Tuesday that New York City's vaccine passport mandate announced earlier that day might disproportionately affect black New Yorkers as well as other groups of people
Hannity went on: 'Just like attending the DNC, want to see your congressman or women or senator from your state, or getting a bottle of wine or a six-pack of beer, 'yeah you need photo ID,' and now they want you to have identification to prove you've been vaccinated just to enter a restaurant, but not to vote.'
It comes as Fox News host Laura Ingraham slammed Democrat leaders for 'cratering' the 'once great' New York City in a blistering attack on Tuesday.
Ingraham claimed only 'looters, the thugs, and the gang bangers' have not had their freedom restricted in the last 18 months and accused Democrats of pushing the city to 'its breaking point'.
She went to claim 'dimwit' de Blasio 'doesn't care' and isn't 'proud' of the city or the hard-working citizens who live there.
'Mayor de Blasio wants to take the city backward like it's still May of 2020, all because of the Delta variant... We don't have a Covid crisis in New York, we have a leadership crisis in New York', she said.
Ingraham urged New Yorkers to 'deliver a resounding rebuke' to de Blasio and Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo or risk remaining in a 'constant state of misery'.
Fox News host Laura Ingraham slammed Democrat leaders for 'cratering' the 'once great' New York City and said the city faced a 'leadership crisis', not a 'covid crisis', in a blistering attack on Tuesday
de Blasio seen at a restaurant on July 30. Hannity said the mayor's, policy was hypocritical as it requires identification for entrance to most places of business, while voter identification laws have been strongly criticized by members of his party
Hannity noted that statistics show that only 33 percent of black people in the city are vaccinated, meaning very few would be allowed to enter most places of business.
'That would mean 66 percent, fully two thirds of African Americans will be barred from restaurants, from concerts, from venues where you have ballgames, movie theaters all in New York City,' he said.
'This will now negatively and quite disproportionately impact minorities in New York City.'
Another group who may be negatively impacted by the vaccine passport mandate, Hannity said, were those with medical conditions who could not get vaccinated.
'Maybe your doctor says you shouldn't get the shot, shouldn't get the shot because of this rare condition or that rare condition,' he said.
Additionally, citing a recent study by the Cleveland Clinic that indicated antibodies generated from being infected by the coronavirus might be as effective as the vaccination, he said those who have had Covid-19 might not need to get vaccinated.
The policy would require some sort of proof of vaccination, either with a vaccination card or an Excelsior Pass (pictured)
'Nevermind medical privacy, your medical privacy, nevermind your doctor-patient confidentiality,' he said.
'Anyone who's vaccinated and is allowed to attend indoor activities will soon have to share their personal, medical documents with employees at every restaurant, every bar, every sporting event, every concert and other random strangers all across New York City.'
de Blasio's announcement earlier in the day caused a stir among business owners confused at how the policy would be implemented.
Customers and workers will have to show proof that they've had at least one dose of a vaccine under plans to pressure New Yorkers to get a shot.
Official data shows that 66 percent of adults in NYC are fully vaccinated
While it will go into effect on August 16, inspections and enforcement won't begin until September 13, the week that the city's public schools reopen for the fall.
It'll fall largely on businesses to enforce the policy, and de Blasio claims it won't be too different from a host guiding someone to a table or a box office clerk selling a ticket.
De Blasio said Tuesday: 'If you want to participate in our society fully, you've got to get vaccinated. It's time.'
He added: 'This is a miraculous place full of wonders, and if you're vaccinated, all of that is gonna open up to you.'
About 66 percent of adults in New York City are fully vaccinated, with another 5.6 percent partially vaccinated, according to official data.
The vaccine mandate is the most aggressive step the city has taken yet to curb a surge in cases caused by the Delta variant.
The vaccine mandate comes after the aggressive Delta variant swept through New York
The mayor touted the 'Key to NYC Pass' as a 'first-in-the-nation' approach.
'The only way to patronize these establishments is if you are vaccinated, at least one dose. The same for folks in terms of work, they will need at least one dose,' de Blasio said.
'The goal here is to convince everyone that this is the time. If we're going to stop the Delta variant, the time is now. And that means getting vaccinated right now.'
But restaurant owners and advocates have hit back, saying the industry faces collapse if restrictions continue to burden a sector of the economy that has faced lost revenues and a staffing crisis over the past year and a half.
'Government is still making things harder on our industry. We can't take it much longer,' said New York State Restaurant Association President and CEO Melissa Fleischut, who says restaurants have suffered enough losses and restrictions during the pandemic.
Residents can show their CDC vaccination cards along with state and city apps like Excelsior
Sean Ogs, manager of the Woodside Cafe in Queens, said he was 'floored' when he heard the news.
'We've already been in a struggle. I don't know how I'm going to deal with it,' Ogs said.
'It's going to be extra work. It'll make things impossible.'
De Blasio said Tuesday that some details of how the program will work still need to be worked out, but he did not think checking vaccination status should be too difficult for businesses, which already have to take tickets or show diners to a table.
Those looking to catch a Broadway show or get in a morning workout will need to pull out a CDC vaccination card or an app like the Excelsior Pass proving that they've had at least one jab of a Covid vaccine. Vaccination cards will be accepted as proof of inoculation, along with state and city apps.
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