‘Vaccine Passports’ Could Be the New ID Required at NYC Bars and Nightclubs

More bars and nightclubs could require people to show proof of vaccination

As NYC’s restaurants, bars, and other businesses race toward reopening at full capacity starting on May 19, a number of venues have already starting requiring guests to show proof that they’re vaccinated. It’s a possible trend as more people gather en masse, according to the New York Times, who checked in on places like Rumi, a ballroom and event space in Chelsea, and other parties across town that asked people to show their C.D.C. vaccination cards and other forms of documentation.

These indoor gatherings come on the heels of the C.D.C. stating that fully-vaccinated people can hangout indoors without masks and Gov. Andrew Cuomo announcing the state would allow venues to increase their capacities if they required proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19. But as the Times points out, it’s not a fool proof system as some forms of documentation can be forged.

Last month, when Mayor Bill de Blasio brought up the idea fully reopening the city’s restaurants and bars by July 1, he mentioned the possibility of requiring “vaccine passports” — such as the Excelsior Pass, a state-certified digital pass that can be downloaded on a cell phone — for indoor events. “I think some institutions are going to choose to do that,” de Blasio said. “I think it will make sense in some places.”

In other news

— Esther Ha will be the new executive chef at Momofuku Ko after chef Sean Gray’s last service on May 15, a spokesperson for the restaurant confirms.

— Jimmy Prince, the beloved butcher behind the counter of Major Markets Prime Meats, which closed in 2009 in Coney Island, died on May 3. He was 89.

—Melissa Weller’s squishy bagels, which are sold at Gertie Wednesdays through Sundays as part of her baker-in-residence stint, are now available daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Manhattan at Blank Street in Soho, at 236 Lafayette Street.

— Ai Fiori at the Langham Hotel will have an outdoor space on the 11th floor when its Sky Terrace opens on May 13, per a restaurant spokesperson. Hours are 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.

— There are now two operating lesbian bars in NYC with the reopening of Henrietta Hudson, Grub Street reports.

— NYC chefs have put together nearly two dozen packages, including demos and private dinners, as part of Dine Out To Feed Good, a fundraiser from City Harvest.

— Chefs John Doherty and David Burke are collaborating on a charity dinner on May 13 at the Red Salt Room inside the Garden City Hotel in Long Island. The menu is based on dishes the duo have cooked for celebrities over the years, and a portion of each $130 ticket sale will be donated to Doherty’s Heavenly Harvest Foundation.

— The salad we need to start the week off (plus, the heart-shaped cucumbers!):