New Orleans expands proof of vaccination requirements for restaurants to children as young as 5

New Orleans is expanding its requirements for proof of COVID-19 vaccination at restaurants and other venues to children as young as five years old. 

Mayor LaToya Cantrell (D) announced Thursday that those as young as five years old will need at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccine or a negative test result to enter public venues with such requirements starting in January.

Beginning in February, proof of full vaccination — or a negative test result — will be required.

This expands a vaccine mandate in the city that currently says adults must be fully vaccinated or have a negative test to enter many indoor public establishments. 

In making the move, New Orleans follows cities such as Philadelphia and New York City that have also expanded vaccine mandates to include all those aged five or above.

The Pfizer vaccine is the only coronavirus vaccine in the U.S. that has been officially approved for use in children that young.

Under the cities’ mandates, full vaccination now requires a person to have received two doses of the coronavirus vaccine.

Chief White House medical advisor Anthony Fauci has previously said, however, that he believes it is only a matter of time before a person has to receive three shots of the vaccine, including the booster dose, before they are considered fully vaccinated. 

President Biden and health officials have been encouraging booster shots for all Americans following the detection of the omicron variant, which preliminary studies show may be more resistant to the initial two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine regimen than past COVID-19 strains, in dozens of states.