New York City will become the first major US city to require proof of Covid-19 vaccination at restaurants, gyms and other businesses, Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Tuesday, as the nation grapples with the rapidly spreading Delta variant.

With vaccines widely available, political leaders are combating this wave with shots and masks rather than ordering businesses to close and Americans to stay home as they did last year.

The US government and several states, along with some hospitals and universities, already require employees to get inoculated. Tyson Foods on Tuesday became one of the largest private employers to require all workers be immunised to combat the virus that has killed over 600,000 in the country.

New York City's policy requires proof of at least one dose and will be enforced starting Sept 13. Like mask mandates and last year's stay-at-home orders, the plan will likely meet stiff resistance.

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