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They want hard proof.
A California restaurant notorious for disregarding COVID protocols is “doubling down” on COVIDIOCY – by requiring patrons to prove that they haven’t been vaccinated.
“From day one, never complied, banned masks, and now … requiring proof of beingUn-vaccinated!” read a recent Instagram post by Basilico’s Pasta E Vino on Huntington Beach in Pasadena.
Accompanying pics show the Italian restaurant emblazoned with signs that read: “NOTICE: Proof of being UNvaccinated required.”
“We have zero tolerance for treasonous, anti-American stupidity,” the now-viral notice adds.
The Orange County eatery first found itself in social media’s viral crosshairs at the start of the pandemic in 2020 after opting to remain open despite the statewide indoor dining shutdown, according to KTLA. They then defied mask mandates by requiring diners to remove their face coverings before sitting down to eat.
However, this most recent inflammatory policy might be purely performative – a Basilico employee has revealed they haven’t witnessed the restaurant actually screening patrons based on their vax status, the LA Times reported Tuesday.
The anti-PPE placards are actually a tongue-in-cheek jab at “the lockdown tiny tyrants” that were requiring people to provide evidence that they’ve received the shot, restaurant owner Tony Roman wrote an email to the West Coast outlet.
“We chose to fire another missile of defiance to further make our point in defense of American liberty and freedom,” he said.
The measure comes as venues across California impose “proof of vaccination” policies amid a nationwide spike in cases of COVID’s Delta variant, especially among the un-innoculated.
A report earlier this month found that recent seven-day average of new infections jumped 70 percent from the previous average to about 26,300.
“There is a message that is crystal clear: This is becoming a pandemic of the unvaccinated,” said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “We are seeing outbreaks of cases in parts of the country that have low vaccination coverage, because unvaccinated people are at risk.”
Unfortunately, despite the alarming statistics, stubborn COVID shot skeptics continue to flip the bird to vaccine protocols.
Earlier this month, rocker Eric Clapton announced that he will refuse to perform in any venues that require guests to have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
*story by The New York Post