Last weekend, two restaurants in Philadelphia, along with other restaurants across the country, required diners to prove that they were vaccinated against COVID-19 before sitting down to eat.

Martha, Offers a variety of groceries and cooked food on East York Street in Kensington, Bring to Instagram It was announced on Saturday that “out of respect for our neighbors and staff”, it will require those who wish to dine indoors or sit in bars to first show their vaccination card or a photo. According to social media posts, those without a vaccination certificate will sit in the restaurant’s outdoor patio area.

Martha’s general manager Olivia Cáceres told CBS 3 The new requirements stem from feedback from staff. She also said that some of Martha’s regular customers support this decision.

“This pandemic is not over yet,” Cáceres told CBS3. “We really listen to the opinions of our employees. We care about their health. We care about their safety. If it is as simple as going in to check some vaccination cards, it would be a simple matter for us. We’ There is still service for everyone. If you can’t show your card for any reason, we have terrace seats; we have sidewalk seats.”

Stricter policies were implemented on Sunday Irving is upstairs, Serving Sicilian dishes in a rooftop bar environment on the eighth floor of the Bok Building in South Philadelphia. In addition to requiring guests to show vaccination cards or photos, the restaurant also enforces a requirement for its employees-“without exception.”

“If you or your party members are not vaccinated, you will not be eligible to dine with us,” Irving said upstairs An Instagram post Saturday. “If you or a member of your team currently have reservations at Irwin’s Upstairs, we recommend canceling now.”

Anyone who wishes to cancel a booking should contact Irwin’s Upstairs and inform them that the cancellation is due to the vaccination certificate policy to avoid paying the $30 per person fee. The restaurant stated that it will not refund cancelled reservations without prior notice.

Irwin’s executive chef Michael Ferreri told CBS3 that he could not imagine that this restaurant would lose customers due to the new policy. Either way, he said the risk is “smaller than losing a staff member.”

“We are talking about money and human life,” Ferreri said. “If you let me choose, I will obviously choose human life instead of anything.”

Philadelphia County Report “large” COVID-19 spread, Only time will tell whether more restaurants in the city begin to implement preventive measures similar to Martha’s and Owen’s restaurants.

It may be helpful to see what restaurants in other big cities are doing. In Los Angeles, “more and more people” are asking diners to show proof of vaccination or have recently tested negative for coronavirus. Los Angeles Times. Health hotline According to reports, several places in New York City are requesting proof of vaccination.According to the bar and restaurant scene in Seattle, ibid. KOMO News.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended on July 27 Regardless of the vaccination situation, everyone wears a mask indoors, In counties reporting high or high transmission. This policy reversal is largely due to the highly contagious Delta variant becoming the most dominant strain of COVID-19 in the United States.