Councilman Wants To Incentivize Bars To Require Customer Vaccines

HOBOKEN, NJ —A week after Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla signed an executive order requiring all municipal employees in Hoboken to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, or submit to regular testing, a Hoboken councilman has offered a proposal to help ensure patrons at local bars and restaurants are vaccinated.

On Thursday, First Ward Councilman Mike DeFusco called upon Bhalla to financially incentivize local bars and restaurants to require proof of vaccination before customers are allowed to enter the establishment without a mask.

DeFusco, who represents the neighborhood with a majority of Hoboken's bars, made clear the program would be voluntary for restaurants. He made the distinction between the program he's proposing and the one New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced this week, which requires proof of at least one dose of the vaccine for workers and customers at indoor-dining establishments, gyms and theaters.

Under DeFusco's proposal, establishments could be motivated to require proof of vaccination among customers by being granted a waiver on their daily outdoor dining fees or other city-mandated operational fees. Meanwhile, bars and restaurants that do not wish to participate would be subject to the fees as written in Hoboken's outdoor dining regulations, DeFusco said.

"The Delta variant of COVID-19 has proven to be significantly more contagious than any previous strain of the virus, and with the number of bars and individuals who come to our city for nightlife activities, Hoboken is uniquely situated to be at an even greater risk of infection," DeFusco said.

DeFusco continued: "Incentivizing businesses that are willing to take additional measures to prevent the spread of this virus, specifically tightly packed bars, is a win for both public health and safety in our city and provides additional relief for small businesses who have struggled to make ends meet over the past year and a half."

According to a release, DeFusco has asked Bhalla to immediately begin implementing the vaccine incentive program for businesses. Presenting the program as an ordinance would require two meetings of the city council and for Bhalla to sign the program into law, a process that would take nearly two months, DeFusco said.

Bhalla has not commented publicly on DeFusco's proposal. But after signing the executive order on July 30 requiring city employees to be fully vaccinated by Aug. 9, or submit to testing -making Hoboken one of the first cities with such a requirement - Bhalla encouraged Hoboken businesses to adopt similar policies.

"Given the recent increase of cases and the Delta variant in our region, the requirement we're adopting today has become necessary to help keep our community safe," Bhalla said on July 30."I ask all Hoboken businesses and companies to consider implementing similar measures, to protect their own employees and members of the public. The vaccines are highly effective and I strongly encourage every person who has not yet done so, to get vaccinated as soon as possible."

Meanwhile, local restaurant and bar owner Jimmy McCue, who owns Texas Arizona, 76 River St., and 80 River Bar & Kitchen, 80 River St., said he is not in favor of DeFusco's proposed program.

"All this does is give us more things to worry about and to do," McCue told WPIX. "We are already struggling with operating during a pandemic, and now I have to play judge, jury and executioner? No thank you."

McCue also said the policy could be difficult to implement effectively because people are producing fake vaccination cards.

"I have a tough enough time right now making sure people are 21 with the fake IDs around town," McCue told NJ.com.