Some restaurant owners have signed a petition asking the Portland City Council to require proof of vaccination for customers entering certain indoor spaces, including restaurants, in the city.
Restaurants including Cocktail Mary and the Portland Hunt & Alpine Club have signed a petition, which they say would help both workers and diners feel safer.
Isaac MacDougal, who owns the bar Cocktail Mary, was one of the first owners to sign the petition. He said the mandate is needed to protect frontline workers as the Omicron variant continues to spread. His restaurant already requires proof of vaccination for indoor dining — with few issues so far.
"Everyone has a picture of their vaccine card on them and or the vaccine card on their person. And everyone feels much more comfortable and much more able to relax and much more at ease knowing that everyone else inside is vaccinated," MacDougal said.
Greg Dugal, with the industry group HospitalityMaine, said that it's still too early for his organization to take a position on a potential vaccine mandate.
"Until we actually hear that, and have the opportunity to be part of it, and hear what is being said, and what the details are, it's very difficult for us to make more comments than that," Dugal said.
The trade group did come out against a proposed mask mandate in the city in October, and has also called for the city's emergency order to end, as it will lead to a minimum wage hike at the beginning of January under a new "hazard pay" ordinance.
The City Council will debate a mask mandate and the emergency order at a meeting on Monday.
