By Sharon Egan
Beginning the second week of August, New York City became one of the first cities in the United States to require proof of vaccination for a variety of indoor venues and events. These places include spaces such as gyms, bars, restaurants, sports arenas, and theaters.
Your physical card isn’t necessarily required, any digital form works too. I lost my own vaccine card a few weeks after my second dose, so I’ve been using either a photo of my card or the Covid Compliance Status page on the MC Glance App as proof of my status. The New York State digital Excelsior Pass is another great option if you don’t have your physical card.
At bars and clubs, a bouncer will cross-check your I.D. with your proof of vaccination. Fake I.Ds are harder to use by effect. Requiring IDs at bars and clubs is a longstanding practice across the city, so this new rule isn’t a foreign act to bouncers. However, at places such as theaters, coffee shops, and gyms, it’s a slightly different story. Many workers at these establishments don’t have the same experience that bouncers do when it comes to dealing with patrons who refuse to comply. De-escalating a situation is hard enough with little experience, but even more so when it’s over a sensitive topic such as the COVID-19 vaccination.
Many individuals who aren’t vaccinated have strong opinions about the vaccine and the new rules; they aren’t all willing to peacefully comply with being kept out of indoor public spaces. Since the announcement of the vaccination mandate, protesters have gathered several times in front of City Hall to protest what they find is a violation of their right to bodily autonomy. A number of city business and restaurant owners have even joined together to sue Mayor Bill de Blasio for the vaccination mandate.
The city won’t be enforcing venus compliance with requiring proof of vaccination until September 13th. This leaves businesses across the city with one month to come up with a system to check vaccination and train their employees on how to deescalate potentially stressful interactions with anti-vaxxers.