A week after East Atlanta bar Argosy announced it would require proof of COVID vaccination for its customers, another neighborhood business is enacting the same rule.
LGBTQA bar Mary’s posted its new “No Vax, No Entry” policy on its Facebook page and Instagram account Thursday.
The policy asks customers to be prepared to show proof of vaccination upon entry, with either a vaccination card or a photo of the card along with an ID.
East Atlanta bar and restaurant Argosy received national attention last week after announcing that it would begin requiring guests to be vaccinated. The new rules come amid a surge in new coronavirus infections, fueled by the highly contagious delta variant, in Georgia and across the nation, overwhelmingly among the unvaccinated.
The decision came after four Argosy employees — co-owner Armando Celentano and three bartenders — recently tested positive for COVID-19. Each had been vaccinated, marking them as “breakthrough” cases. Celentano was tested after feeling ill. His positive result prompted a round of companywide testing.
Argosy’s social media accounts were flooded with both messages of support and ire after the new rule was announced. U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Rome, Georgia, tweeted an angry response to the policy:
“This is called segregation,” she wrote on Twitter. “Will you be testing everyone at the door for the flu, strep throat, stomach bugs, colds, meningitis, aids, venereal diseases, Hep A, Hep C, staff (sic) infections, athletes foot, pink eye, croup, bronchitis, ringworm, scabies, or any other contagions?”
So far, the social media response to Mary’s new rule has been largely positive
Though there are several restaurants in cities including New York and Los Angeles that are mandating vaccinations among patrons, Argosy and Mary’s appear to be the only businesses thus far in metro Atlanta asking for proof of vaccination.
Several Atlanta restaurants have posted on social media asking customers to respect the City of Atlanta’s recently-reissued mask mandate, including Fox Bros. BBQ, Hell Yeah Gluten Free and Poco Loco ATL.
A representative for Mary’s did not immediately respond to the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s request for comment.
-- AJC Food and Dining Editor Ligaya Figueras contributed to this story
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