The Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus seems to be erasing all the progress that we’ve made as a city, state and country since the winter through vaccination efforts, mask wearing and social distancing.
The owner of the Quiet Few, Josh Weinstein, has been hit particularly hard by the pandemic. Weinstein was forced to close his small bar on Sumner Street for several months during the initial outbreak of the virus last year.
However, things were looking up for the Quiet Few with the addition of outdoor seating and the lift of capacity restrictions over the winter.
But for every step forward there seems to be two steps back.
Last week, The Quiet Few was forced to close after they became aware of a customer who visited the establishment and later tested positive for COVID.
After last week’s closure Weinstein has had enough, and is now requiring patrons to show proof of vaccination before entering and drinking indoors at his establishment–making the bar perhaps the first in the city to require the controversial so-called ‘vaccine passport’.
“We’re hoping to be back open very soon but before we open back up, we need to make a change,” said Weinstein. “Starting immediately, we will only be allowing guests with proof of vaccination to join us indoors. Our recent closing was a high inside fastball. We were brushed back. But we need to heed the warning.”
Of his decision Weinstein explained that his business is not a “summer job’’ or something to get him and his staff by while they figure out what they want to do.
“We are bartenders. We are cooks. What we love to do is to serve you. We are lifers in this industry, and we take it seriously,” he said. “This job can’t be done over zoom. We can’t do this from our kitchen. We need to get in there and get face to face to make this thing that we love to do work. To work, we need to ensure our safety. It is not a fair ask of the bar/restaurant industry to just put masks back on. We tried that. Throw that on top of our industry being short staffed and exhausting extra hours, it’s not our place to make more concessions. We did that–for over 15 months.”
Weinstein said he is a Type 1 diabetic with an 18 month old baby at home.
“We both are compromised without the bar taking action,” he said “This decision did not come easily. It’s tough. We hate it. But it needs to be done. If you do not want to show proof of vaccination, or are not vaccinated, that’s fine. You are welcome to join us on our patio. We’re working hard to make it available seven days a week. We hope you understand our position in this. And if you don’t agree, we hope we can mend our ways down the road. But for now, you’re gonna need to get vaxed for indoor (seating).”
The Quiet Few’s decision came after NYC decided to require proof of vaccination for indoor bars and restaurants.