Vaccinated Illinois Diners Won’t Count Against Restaurant Capacity
When the word went out recently that in April all Illinois residents will become eligible for a COVID-19 vaccination, one of the things I kept hearing most was the pure joy at the thought of eating in restaurants again.
Chicago.Eater.com reports that if you're a fully vaccinated would-be diner who has proof of your vaccination, you being in the restaurant won't be counted against the capacity limits of that restaurant. So, the 50 people or 50 percent of capacity rules won't apply to you. It's like you don't exist, but you'll still be able to order food, and more importantly, you'll still get a bill at the end of your meal.
That seems clear enough, right? Not so fast. This is still Illinois, after all.
The state's website says this about vaccinations and capacity limits:
“Individuals with proof of full vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test (PCR) 1-3 days prior to an event or outing do not count against capacity limits.”
The problem seems to be what the term "fully vaccinated" actually means. Does it mean that you've received the two shots that are required for the vaccines to work? Does it mean that you've waited the two weeks after getting the second shot, since we've been told by numerous health experts that 2 weeks is the time needed for full effectiveness?
Yahoo.com says that Chicago's (and the rest of Illinois') restaurant owners have worries about asking people for their medical paperwork, and whether or not that's a violation of medical privacy. They also have concerns about forged paperwork that states a person is in compliance when they are not.
Crain's Chicago Business, reporting on this topic, quotes an Evanston restaurant owner with some doubts about how everything will play out when owners have to ask for proof of vaccination from their potential patrons:
“I am in certainly no position to look at somebody’s medical records in order to give them meatballs. The sentiment is nice, but I just think the execution is a huge violation of patient privacy.”
We'll see how this plays out as our vaccination numbers continue to climb, and the urge to get back to normal continues to grow.
LOOK: Answers to 30 common COVID-19 vaccine questions
While much is still unknown about the coronavirus and the future, what is known is that the currently available vaccines have gone through all three trial phases and are safe and effective. It will be necessary for as many Americans as possible to be vaccinated in order to finally return to some level of pre-pandemic normalcy, and hopefully these 30 answers provided here will help readers get vaccinated as soon they are able.