SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) – Some San Francisco restaurants started requiring customers to show proof of COVID-19 vaccine boosters.
They say it’s in an abundance of caution as omicron cases continue rising in the city.
In addition to proof of vaccination, some restaurants in San Francisco are now taking it a step further and requiring proof of vaccine boosters.
“Omicron is doing a really good job of escaping our initial defenses of the vaccines that we received. It seemed standard for us to create a safe environment and that it was a safety tool in place, getting the booster, then we need to put that in place to keep everyone in that environment safe.”
Nate Norris is the chef at Zuni Cafe on Market Street. He says the restaurant will begin checking eligible customers for their booster status on Wednesday, the 29th.
Signs are already posted on their doors and staff have been calling those with future reservations to let them know.
“Got an app at the host stand at the restaurant and the app scans it and then it pops up the information that we need to see and not really more than that. It shows the vaccine, what vaccine’s been received, date, person’s name and then we just have to see their photo ID. It’s a pretty fluid system.”
Meanwhile Cassava in San Francisco’s Outer Richmond neighborhood already began checking booster statuses on Wednesday.
They made the announcement on their social media saying it’s the best way to ensure staff and customers stay safe.
Owner Yuka Loroi says she’s planning to close the restaurant for a week after the holidays as a precaution but will stay closed longer if omicron cases continue rising.
While Norris and Loroi are the first to implement booster requirements for restaurants in the city, they don’t believe that they’ll be the last.