If you’re planning to dine out and you haven’t had a Covid-19 vaccine, you may want to spend your money in Alaska rather than heading to Seattle for that weekend away or planning a week in New York City.
According to Puget Sound news reports, nearly 130 restaurants in Seattle are now screening their clientele for Covid-19 vaccinations before allowing them in. No shot? No table.
New York City will require proof of vaccination to enter restaurants, fitness centers, and all indoor entertainment venues, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced last week.
“If you’re unvaccinated, unfortunately, you will not be able to participate in many things,” he told reporters. “If you want to participate in our society fully, you’ve got to get vaccinated.”
Although not yet an ordinance, the popular Pink Door on Post Alley in the Pike Street Market district is one of those Seattle restaurants turning away those who haven’t completed their vaccination series. A monitor goes through the line outside the door explaining the policy to people and putting them on the host’s list if they can prove they took the jab.
“In the Seattle area, a list of bars and restaurants enforcing proof of vaccination now includes nearly 130 businesses,” said KOMO news.
Yelp, the online review company, now has a way to see which restaurants are requiring all staff and/or all diners to show proof of having had the vaccine. The Yelp site only shows a handful of Seattle restaurants requiring the shot for diners, with over 20 reporting their staff is fully vaccinated.
But no restaurants in Alaska have reported to Yelp that they are requiring “shots to dine,” or “shots to work,” according to a search. Not in Juneau, Anchorage or Fairbanks, anyway.
Businesses of all types across the country — including retail stores — are receiving emails from Yelp asking them if they require their employees to be vaccinated, their clients to be vaccinated, and whether staff or clients are required to wear masks. Yelp will add that to the company’s online profile.
About a year ago, Yelp started racially profiling black businesses by making it an optional box to check as people searched for goods and services. The Yelp service does not provide a similar screening tool for other racial groups.
