No vax, no meal: Some Polish restaurants impose entry restrictions amid criticism of light rules

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Warsaw restaurateur Marcin Wojtasik says he’s ready to face bad reviews from anti-vaxxers to help protect his staff from COVID-19 by only admitting vaccinated customers. “It was a very unpopular decision, there were very strong reactions,” Wojtasik, 50, whose restaurant Yatta Ramen specializes in Japanese cuisine, told Reuters. “But not for our usual customers. They took it very well.”

He is one of many Polish companies to take matters into their own hands, banning all unvaccinated visitors without a state mandate from doing so, as new daily COVID-19 infections top 30,000 amid a relatively mild government response to the pandemic compared to many other European countries. Only around 56% of Poles have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, well below the European Union average. Less than a third received a third booster shot, with many parts of the south and east showing very low vaccination rates among a largely skeptical population.

Under current rules, places such as restaurants and bars can provide up to 30% capacity to unvaccinated people, and with infections soaring the government has drawn criticism from doctors for not imposing tighter restrictions on social activity. Thirteen of the 17 members of the Polish Medical Council advising the prime minister on COVID-19 resigned on Friday, condemning what they said was a lack of scientific influence on policy.

Some of the advisers told Reuters they resigned in part because of the government’s refusal to implement rules such as those introduced in France, where customers are asked to show their vaccination certificates in restaurants, cafes and other places. Professor Robert Flisiak, an outgoing adviser, said such policies have been shown to increase vaccination rates. “We could increase the number of people vaccinated by 10%, which would at least help us reach the EU average rate,” he said.

He praised restaurant owners for taking tougher action. “Of course they face hatred and ostracism, even aggression, so of course it’s very brave of them despite the lack of legal support from the state.” Konstanty Szuldrzynski, another outgoing medical adviser, accused the right-wing ruling party of pandering to a vaccine-skeptical voter base and tying the health ministry’s hands.

“The government knows very well what it has to do. The fact that it does not act is not due to bad intentions but to a lack of political support from its base.” The Polish government said it often had to deal with opposing opinions from various bodies, not just those of its advisers. He said the board’s ways of operating would change, without elaborating.

Wojtasik, the restaurateur, said he hopes the self-imposed restrictions on his ear will play at least a small part in limiting the damage from COVID-19. “Some of my friends are dead, people younger than me. I know this (virus) is a real risk that should not be underestimated.”

(This story has not been edited by the Devdiscourse team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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