500 SF Bars May Require Proof Of Vaccination For Entry

Image: Cassie C. via Yelp

It’s frustrating that state and federal government agencies aren’t being more proactive about requiring vaccinations, with the wildly contagious delta variant spreading at least twice as fast as the original ‘rona. But San Francisco bars may step in and do what the government doesn’t have the courage to do. SFGate reports that a coalition of some 500 bars are considering requiring proof of vaccination for entry. 

BREAKING: Group of 500 SF bars considering proof of vaccination requirement. @diannedeguzman has the scoop ->
https://t.co/TTEI17Q2Zw

— Grant Marek (@Grant_Marek) July 21, 2021

It’s not a done deal yet, but a group of 500 bars known as the San Francisco Bar Owner Alliance  is considering making the move as soon as next week.

“I think that [the San Francisco government is] still hoping that our vaccination rates are gonna hold up, but we are anecdotally seeing a lot of people come down with mild to medium cases of COVID,” SF Bar Owner Alliance founder Ben Bleiman told SFGate. “I kind of see the writing on the wall and I think if we get out ahead of it — and it’s not like we’re shutting down or anything, we’re just saying you’ve gotta have a vaccine.”

More than 500 bars that are part of the San Francisco Bar Owner Alliance are considering asking patrons to show proof of vaccination before entry.https://t.co/I1zHymBkNY

— ALT 105.3 (@ALT1053SF) July 21, 2021

Not every bar in the alliance will require the proof of vaccination for entry, they’re just setting up a framework. According to the Chronicle, Latin American Club, Makeout Room, and Vesuvio Cafe are already requiring proof of vaccination.

“We’ve had a couple employees who have tested positive and we want to protect our staff and I think we really can’t wait for [local government] to develop general guidelines at this point,” Vesuvio owner Janet Clyde told SFGate, noting that these were breakthrough cases with people who were already fully vaccinated. “I mean, this is a situation that’s happening now.”

Members of the San Francisco Bar Alliance are considering new requirements, including masks and mandating that people show their vaccine card upon entry as cases rise across the city. https://t.co/PZUAmwkAfz

— KTVU (@KTVU) July 21, 2021

You probably won’t have to show your physical vaccination card itself, they’ll likely just request a photo or a QR code. But the mere fact that someone, somewhere, is finally taking a stand may embolden state and local governments, and businesses across the nation, to finally set some real boundaries and get this thing under control. 

“The government everywhere — from the feds to the state to the locals — have been so nice to people who won’t get vaccines and I think that needs to stop,” Bleiman told SFGate. “We need to start playing hardball with them, they’re a bunch of assholes, and you can quote me on that. And I’m not talking about the people who can’t get [the vaccine], I’m talking to the people who can and choose not to. They’re selfish and they’re ignorant and they’re putting us all in jeopardy and making it harder for all of us to recover from this. And we need to stop treating them like they just don’t have the right information. The information is right there, it doesn’t lie. And they need to stop thinking that they know more than the scientific experts.”

Again, the vaccine requirement is not in effect yet at most of these bars. But if you’re heading out drinking, you probably should snap a photo of your vaccine card. And if you don’t have one, here’s where you can get vaccinated for free in San Francisco.