New York City is many things. The Big Apple, the city that never sleeps, the place to get one heck of a slice of ‘za — and now Covid-19 vaccines in Times Square.
If you had to read that last one again, don’t worry, we did too. In an effort to get tourism and the city back to its full New York potential, the Empire State will start vaccinating visitors with the single-dose Johnson & Johnson shot at mobile vaccination hubs in popular tourist spots like Central Park, the High Line and Times Square.
We can see the “I got vaccinated in N.Y.” T-shirts now. There is a catch though, currently only those who are 16 and older and live in the United States can get the jab at one of these mobile vaccination units, but we think vaccine tourism is here to stay.
The Maldives recently announced their plans to open vaccines to visitors upon arrival. As of June 1st, Alaska will offer free vaccines at airports to any incoming tourists that want one. Travel agencies all over the world are starting to offer "vaccine tours" to clients who want to get the shot in destinations with a surplus of supplies and faster rollouts than their home countries.
Travellers should keep in mind that just because they've booked a trip, this doesn't guarantee that they will get the shot. Be sure to check eligibility requirements before you leave and keep tabs on availability.
