New York City students and coaches participating in school sports are now mandated to get the COVID vaccine. However, this does not apply to every sport. Football and volleyball are the sports where vaccination is mandatory before you can play.

If you aren’t vaccinated and you play ice hockey, basketball, lacrosse, or wrestling, you have time to get vaccinated before the winter and spring seasons start. Soccer, baseball, golf, tennis, track, weightlifting, and swimming are some of the sports that are considered low risk and it’s not mandatory to be vaccinated. 

“I think it makes sense for school sports to have it because they are in close contact and it’s more likely for someone to get it in sports. It’s important to keep players safe,” said Russell Guerra, a WJPS senior. 

“I think it’ll be super helpful given that some athletes may be at a disadvantage with masks on. While some may oppose it, I believe it’s a pretty smart choice to think about it,” said Stefany Lin, a WJPS senior.

If the sport is played outside, fully vaccinated students will be able to play without a mask.

“Sporting life” by uonottingham is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0