The View on Friday slammed New York City Mayor Eric Adams over exempting Big Apple-based athletes and performers on Thursday from the city’s coronavirus vaccine mandate for the private sector.
Until Thursday, only visiting athletes and performers were exempt from the mandate.
“Hometown players had an unfair disadvantage to those who were coming to visit,” said Adams. “It’s unimaginable, treating our performers differently because they lived and played for home teams. Unacceptable. It’s a self-imposed competitive disadvantage.”
“Follow the money,” said View co-host Joy Behar. “Follow the money.”
“This feels so creepy to me,” said co-host Sunny Hostin. “It feels unfair.”
She continued:
New York was the epicenter of the pandemic and that’s why those were put in place, and when you have an athlete like let’s say [Brooklyn Nets star] Kyrie Irving and [tennis star] Novak Djokovic who refuse to play by the rules that will protect everyone else, including their teammates, including Kyrie’s teammates, I think you’re rewarding someone who just flouted the rules, and it seems like he’s adopting a double standard that favors famous people, famous athletes and other performers, millionaires over the everyday person, and I think it’s unfair, and I think it’s a poor example. How about the people – 1,400 people that lost their jobs? Are they getting their jobs back? No they’re not.
Guest co-host Ana Navarro quoted Adams’ answer
“We are not reviewing if we are going to bring them back,” said Adams, quoted by Navarro.
“Well, sir, maybe you should because I think what gets stuck in people’s craws here is the unequal treatment,” said Navarro. “Something for the folks who are here and something for the folks who really need this paycheck, and who are union workers who are feeding families.”
Navarro added, “There needs to be rules for everyone and that’s what we aspire to and that’s why it bothers people so much.”
Moments later, Navarro said she’d be fine with the exemption if there was a plan to re-hire city workers.
“What’s not fine is to allow an exemption for rich, powerful, connected, famous people,” she said.
Watch above, via ABC.