More Chicago businesses requiring customers to be vaccinated
CHICAGO - More Chicago businesses are requiring customers to be vaccinated.
Before you can grab a drink at Meeting House Tavern in Andersonville, you'll be greeted by someone ready to check your ID...and vaccination status.
The establishment started only letting in customers who have proof of vaccination on Tuesday. Acceptable forms include your actual vaccine card, a copy or a picture of it, or a record on a medical app.
The owner of Meeting House Tavern said that with the surge in COVID cases because of the Delta variant, this is a way to provide a safer space.
"This was the moment at which we needed to stand up and say, listen everyone do the right thing," said owner, Mike Sullivan.
"Our entire team is vaccinated," said Sullivan. "And so you should be to."
The bar is among the latest establishments to require proof of vaccination.
Popular Chicago music venue Metro implemented a vaccine requirement for entry.
And D.S. Tequila Co., a restaurant and bar in Lakeview, started doing so on Sunday.
But some feel requiring proof of vaccination to get into a bar or restaurant infringes on their personal rights.
The ACLU of Illinois says that's not the case.
"Because limiting access to people who've had a vaccine is part of helping to stop the spread of a disease, which is affecting the public health," said Ed Yohnka, Director of Communications and Public Policy for the ACLU of Illinois. "And in that instance, what the courts have consistently ruled is that one's personal desires can be outweighed by the needs of the public."
So with COVID cases on the rise, could Chicago see a vaccine mandate similar to New York City?
"We'll be watching to see how this plays out," said Dr. Allison Arwady, Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health. "We don't have a current plan to do something like that at the city level."