Mayor-elect Eric Adams said Thursday that he will keep New York City’s vaccine mandate for businesses and that the city will set a spring deadline on whether to have a new vaccine mandate for public school students.

Adams made the announcements at a press conference in which he laid out details of his sweeping plan to fight COVID-19 when he assumes office on Jan. 1.

Adams said the private-sector vaccine mandate that was put in place by Mayor Bill de Blasio this month will stay in effect in 2022, with a focus on “compliance, not punishment.”

The mayor-elect said he’d work closely with stakeholders to ensure compliance. “I don’t believe we need to be heavy handed with our businesses; COVID has been heavy handed enough with our businesses,” he said.

While the city will use a “light-handed approach” and support businesses that are attempting to comply with the mandate, businesses that are “recklessly not complying” will be fined, Adams said.

Adams also announced that the city will set a spring deadline for a decision on whether to have a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for public school students.

He said he’s been talking with Gov. Kathy Hochul about the possibility of mandating vaccinations for students, since it would be a state decision.

“Right now, we don’t believe the rates in schools call for that,” Adams said.

“The governor will make the final outcome if we’re going to mandate vaccines in schools,” he added. “As we look at the numbers sometime in April, we’ll see if that is something we need to further look into.”

Adams also said the city is studying the need for an “up-to-date mandate” that would require New Yorkers to have a COVID-19 booster shot to adhere to the vaccine mandates currently in place.

“We’re going to continue to analyze the data if we have to put in place a mandate for boosters,” Adams said. “Right now, we don’t believe we are where we need a mandate. If we believe that mandate is needed, I’m not going to hesitate to do it for the city, for those areas where we are in control of. We’re not there right now.”

Adams said his COVID-19 plan was put together with input from public health experts and will focus on six pillars: vaccination; supporting hospitals and congregate settings; testing; treatment; slowing the spread of the virus; and safer schools.

The mayor-elect said decisions about mandates and other restrictions would be based on what health experts say.

“We’re going to make those adjustments based on what the science tells us— when we can remove some of the mandates. And there may come a time, if a new variant comes, where we have to increase mandates,” Adams said.

But he said the goal up his plan is to “keep New Yorkers safe from the virus and keep our city open.”

“We must allow our city to function,” he said. “The day has come when we must learn to be smarter, live with COVID and ensure that we protect everyday New Yorkers.”

(AP)