BOSTON (CBS) — As the number of coronavirus cases continues to rise in Massachusetts and nationwide, more places are beginning to require proof of vaccination before you can enter.
It was a difficult decision for bar and nightclub owner James Morgrage, but beginning on August 16, Club Café in Boston’s Back Bay will be the first to require patrons to show their vaccination cards at the door.
“It was really about trying to protect the community, our staff, and our business,” said Morgrage.
He says he saw the spike in Delta variant cases and wanted to protect his customers and staff, many of whom are in the LGBTQ community.
“The LGBT community, there are so many living with HIV already immunocompromised. So we thought of them as well,” said Morgrage.
A local infectious disease doctor called it a reasonable move since the Delta variant is more contagious and can spread even among vaccinated people.
Could masking up at nightclubs, bars and crowded indoor spaces be next?
“We know that certainly with Delta, even vaccinated people can transmit. You don’t have to be infectious to transmit. And now that we’re above 1,000 cases a day again in the state, I think for the next several weeks if people mask up, we hopefully see a downturn in cases,” said Dr. Daniel Kuritzkes, who works in Brigham and Women’s Hospital Infectious Disease Division.
Morgrage hopes that by people showing their vaccination cards, that will be enough protection for now.
*story by CBS Boston
