New York has exempted all performers and athletes from its private business COVID-19 vaccine mandate, but is continuing to force all other workers to get a COVID-19 vaccine. Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, announced the carveout on March 24 at CitiField ahead of the New York Mets’ opening day. Adams’s predecessor, Bill de Blasio, imposed a raft of COVID-related mandates in 2021, including a private business COVID-19 vaccine mandate that contained an exemption for athletes and performers who were visiting the city, but not those who played for home teams. Adams said he wanted to change the requirement after taking office on Jan. 1, but was told by health advisers to wait until COVID-19 cases were at a lower level. Cases are now at levels not seen since July 2021. New York “is a low-risk environment” right now, “so today we take another step in the city’s economic recovery,” he …