The Department of Health and Human Services is offering a free option for Maine people who need a ride to and from a COVID-19 vaccination appointment. Are Portland restaurants open for sit-down dining? Hi, to comment on stories you must create a commenting profile. The Portland Hunt & Alpine Club is one week into enforcing its new vaccine requirement for indoor dining and co-owner Briana Volk says that asking customers to produce a vaccination card has. A lot of people have been writing false reviews to drag down our ratings, people wished wed go out of business and people put bets on when well go out of business, he added. In this case, a reasonable accommodation could be seating unvaccinated guests at a socially distanced outdoor table, or asking them to produce a negative COVID test before dining. From 2001 until 2019 Maine's statute requiring mandatory vaccines for health care workers contained an exemption for medical reasons and religious and philosophical objections. Edited by Liz O. Baylen and Mike Benoist. I've been told I'm doing segregation similar to what happened to Black people," Volk said. There are also some definite opponents of the vaccine requirement, including the owner of Gritty McDuff's Brew Pub in Portland, who told NBC affiliate News Center Maine that "the city of Portland should respect each business' right to implement their own vaccine mandate.'". We havent seen a decline in reservations, weve seen an uptick, he said, explaining that the change is simply to protect both restaurant staff and area families, including his own -- he has young children. ", "We are not well if we are not vaccinated," added Heather White, founder and CEO of TRILLFIT fitness studio. Maine Public Radio's Robbie Feinberg has more. This pandemic has shown us that we are stronger than we ever imagined. She also said all city employees must be vaccinated along that same timeline, eliminating a weekly testing option that had existed previously. Learn more. The bar opened for indoor dining just a few months ago with precautions. Restaurants | Department of Economic and Community Development - Maine Everyone age5years and older are recommended to receive an updated (bivalent) booster. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. <> In fact, Volk said, the restaurant's bar had its busiest weekday ever the day after she and her business partner spoke to local media about the vaccine requirement. 2023 NEWS CENTER Maine. Immunizations | Department of Education - Maine Janet Mills announced an aggressive . State Vaccination Requirements State and local vaccination requirements for daycare and school entry are important tools for maintaining high vaccination coverage rates, and in turn, lower rates of vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs). As vaccines become available, find the latest updates here. MacDougal says he keeps groups of staff members on the same shifts with each other to limit potential exposure, and once indoor service resumed, vaccines were required for staff and patrons. [CDATA[ March 23, 2021: All residents age 50 and older. People like Jaina Neri, a manger at Portland's Arabica Coffee Shop, agree. There have been threatening messages directed at him and restaurant staff online, over the phone and even in person, he said. Ive heard a lot of people say that they are happy we are doing this, because it makes them feel safer when they dine in, Volk said. Yelp says it plans to "proactively safeguard" any restaurant account that activates these features, protecting them from so-called review bombing. In a statewide referendum 72% of voters favored the change. Alex Wight, owner of Crown Jewel, said his restaurant will also be using an honor system for now. Accuracy and availability may vary. Beginning Feb. 15, everyone will have to show proof of two doses. Wu was joined for her announcement by municipal officials from Salem, Somerville and Brookline. The Portland Hunt & Alpine Club is one week into enforcing its new vaccine requirement for indoor dining and co-owner Briana Volk says that asking customers to produce a vaccination card has gone well. // That includes reinstituting a mask mandate, which had been in place across the state through May. What events are happening this week/month in Portland? As the delta variant of COVID-19 surges amid troubling news of its transmissibility and severity, chefs and restaurateurs say they're worried about the safety of their staff and their guests and a vaccine requirement will help keep everyone safe.