'People are going to get mad!' Restaurant owners brace for chaos - and backlash - when new NYC COVID rules coming into effect in just two weeks that require ALL staff and customers to show proof they're vaccinated
New York City restaurant owners and managers are bracing for chaos ahead of the country's first vaccination mandate for customers - as worries mount that patrons who are asked to show proof of shots could take their business elsewhere, or even get violent.
Mayor Bill de Blasio on Tuesday announced that New York will be the first major city in the United States to require that indoor diners, theatergoers and gym members show proof of vaccination if they want to receive service.
Meanwhile, there's no data to even determine how many restaurant and catering workers have their vaccines. They'll also be required to have their shots, according to the new rule.
A spokesperson for the New York City Hospitality Alliance said there is no data on what percentage of hospitality workers are vaccinated. The city's Health Department also doesn't keep track.
The news on the vaccination requirement for customers was met with mixed reaction from restaurant owners and managers, who say that while they are hopeful this will spur more New Yorkers to get vaccinated, it could also pose problems for those trying to enforce the measure.
'If you ask the customer for proof that they had the vaccine, then you're going to have a lot of problems,' Jose Amigon, 56, the general manager of Paul's Da Burger Joint in the East Village, told DailyMail.com.
'People get mad, angry, upset.'
Jose Amigon, 56, the general manager of Paul's Da Burger Joint in the East Village, says requiring customers be vaccinated will cause problems
Amigon said that on several occasions customers have been violent and aggressive when asked to wear a mask. One angry customer smashed the plastic shield partition (seen above). Amigon hopes the scenario doesn't repeat itself when asking for proof of vaccination
Paul's Da Burger Joint has lost 80 percent of its business as a result of the pandemic. Amigon said that he hopes the vaccination mandate will not drive away more customers
Ataur Rahman, 64, is the general manager of DallasBBQ in the East Village. He told DailyMail.com that it hasn't been a problem to get his staff vaccinated
Rahman is general manager of DallasBBQ in the East Village. He said he is worried that the vaccine mandate will hurt business
Amigon, who says he lost 25 relatives to COVID-19, said that he has had to call the police on several occasions during the pandemic after rowdy customers refused his request to wear a mask.
In one instance, a customer slammed his fist and cracked the plastic partition shield that he put up in front of the cash register.
Another customer angry over the request to wear a mask spit on the partition. Amigon said that another customer threw an object at him.
While he's pleased that the city is taking steps to boost vaccination rates, Amigon said there's a risk that the move could backfire since customers who haven't gotten the shot could take their business elsewhere.
Customers and workers will have to show proof that they've had at least one dose of a vaccine under plans to pressure New Yorkers to get a shot, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Tuesday
Official data shows that 66 percent of adults in NYC are fully vaccinated
Data from the New York City Department of Health shows 60 percent of all New Yorkers have received at least one dose while 55 percent have been fully vaccinated
'If you ask customers if they had the vaccine, they'll get offended,' he said. 'One hundred percent.'
'So we're gonna have a lot of problems when [the new policy] comes.'
'I get scared because sometimes people get very aggravated,' Amigon continued.
'Some people don't want to do the vaccine. Some people don't want to wear masks.'
Amigon said that all of his co-workers have gotten vaccinated. As general manager, he is responsible for a staff of six people.
During the pandemic, the restaurant stayed open and made deliveries as there was no indoor, in-person dining. But the tourists were nowhere to be found.
As a result, Paul's Da Burger Joint lost 70 percent of its business, Amigon said.
He said the restaurant managed to survive through phone and online orders - barely.
Now Amigon said he is 'very scared' about what the future holds, as the Indian Delta variant has sent case numbers surging.
Complicating factors is the reluctance of hospitality workers to return to their jobs.
Amigon said that government benefits surpass the paychecks they received while working.
One of his biggest fears now is that unvaccinated customers will be put off by the new mandate.
The new requirement, which will be phased in over several weeks in August and September, is the most aggressive step the city has taken yet to curb a surge in cases caused by the Delta variant.
De Blasio has focused on getting as many New Yorkers vaccinated as possible while resisting calls to mandate masks indoors, as several cities and counties in California have done.
New York City - like the rest of the country - has seen a surge in the number of coronavirus cases in recent weeks
But the high vaccination rate citywide has kept hospitalizations at bay, according to the recent data
Deaths have also remained low during the recent surge fueled by the Indian Delta variant
He said vaccination cards will be accepted as proof of inoculation, along with state and city apps.
People will have to show proof that they have had at least one vaccine dose.
'The only way to patronize these establishments indoors will be if you're vaccinated,' de Blasio said.
'The goal here is to convince everyone that this is the time. If we're going to stop the delta variant, the time is now.'
Ataur Rahman, 64, is the general manager of DallasBBQ in the East Village.
He told DailyMail.com that it hasn't been a problem to get his staff vaccinated.
Out of a workforce of 42 employees, 80 percent have been vaccinated.
As for how he intends to check whether his customers have gotten the shot, that's complicated, he said.
'It is difficult. Forget about vaccination - it has been difficult with the mask issues,' Rahman told DailyMail.com.
'We still don't know how to deal with that.'
Rahman said that while details of de Blasio's plan have yet to be announced, it will most likely entail asking customers to show their vaccination cards at the entrance.
He said he hopes the vaccination requirement will go much smoother than the mask mandate.
'Sometimes customers would get aggressive [when we asked them to mask up],' he said.
'We've been going through this a lot.'
The policy would require some sort of proof of vaccination, either with a vaccination card or an Excelsior Pass (pictured)
Rahman said the vaccine mandate is 'definitely a positive thing to implement, but surely we'll be losing business if unvaccinated people don't come to the restaurant.'
He said that since reopening, the business, which at times during the pandemic saw its activity drop by as much as 80 percent, has recovered somewhat.
It has required masks while also taking customers' temperatures as well as doing contact tracing in case of any COVID positives.
Rahman said that once the new vaccination mandate takes effect, 'it looks like we will be losing business.'
'But I am happy that people will be forced to be vaccinated. That's a good thing,' he said.
De Blasio said some details still need to be worked out, including rules affecting children under 12, who are not yet eligible for any of the approved vaccines.
The policy will go into effect on August 16 but inspections and enforcement won't begin until September 13 - the week the city's public schools reopen for fall.
A spokesperson for the New York City Hospitality Alliance said there is no data on what percentage of hospitality workers are vaccinated.
There is also divided opinion among restaurant owners as it relates to the new vaccine mandate, according to the alliance.
But 'all seem to agree that we can't revert to shut downs and more harsh restrictions.'
It'll fall largely on businesses to enforce the policy, and de Blasio claims it won't be too different from a host guiding someone to a table or a box office clerk selling a ticket.
De Blasio said Tuesday that he did not think checking vaccination status should be too difficult for businesses. Some disagreed.
Residents can show their CDC vaccination cards along with state and city apps like Excelsior
Seongmin Jun, the manager of Dear Han Cafe in Queens, wondered how he would check vaccination cards while handling the periodic rush of patrons and serving as the cafe's only barista.
'Will customers get offended for checking if they got COVID vaccinations? I mean I don't know how to do that, or even if I will have time to do that,' Jun said.
The coffee shop opened just months before the pandemic spread early last year.
'They're making it too hard for businesspeople,' Jun said, but acknowledged something has to be done to get the virus under control.
'I get what they are trying to say, but there must be another way to reduce the cases of COVID.'
De Blasio said Tuesday: 'If you want to participate in our society fully, you've got to get vaccinated. It's time.'
He added: 'This is a miraculous place full of wonders, and if you're vaccinated, all of that is gonna open up to you.'
About 66 percent of adults in New York City are fully vaccinated, with another 5.6 percent partially vaccinated, according to official data.
The vaccine mandate is the most aggressive step the city has taken yet to curb a surge in cases caused by the Delta variant.
The mayor touted the 'Key to NYC Pass' as a 'first-in-the-nation' approach.
'The only way to patronize these establishments is if you are vaccinated, at least one dose. The same for folks in terms of work, they will need at least one dose,' de Blasio said.
'The goal here is to convince everyone that this is the time. If we're going to stop the Delta variant, the time is now. And that means getting vaccinated right now.'
But restaurant owners and advocates have hit back, saying the industry faces collapse if restrictions continue to burden a sector of the economy that has faced lost revenues and a staffing crisis over the past year and a half.
'Government is still making things harder on our industry. We can't take it much longer,' said New York State Restaurant Association President and CEO Melissa Fleischut, who says restaurants have suffered enough losses and restrictions during the pandemic.
Sean Ogs, manager of the Woodside Cafe in Queens, said he was 'floored' when he heard the news.
'We've already been in a struggle. I don't know how I'm going to deal with it,' Ogs said.
'It's going to be extra work. It'll make things impossible.'
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