A New York City diner owner has blasted Mayor Bill de Blasio’s new vaccine mandate, saying banning unvaccinated customers from eating indoors is discriminatory and is no different to banning people because they are black, Muslim or gay.
Mary Josephine Generoso, manager of pastry shop and diner Pasticceria Rocco in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, told DailyMail.com the city is ‘segregating people’ with its new proof of vaccination requirement and warned it is a step back in time before the civil rights movement.
‘It’s discriminatory – the mayor and the city of New York is asking us to segregate based on vaccine status,’ she said.
‘To put up a sign saying only vaccinated people can enter is segregating people.
‘It would be like changing the words vaccinated and unvaccinated to black and white, or Muslim and Catholic, or gay or heterosexual.
‘[De Blasio] is segregating people – it’s the same as him saying you can’t let a gay person in your business.’
The mayor fired back at the backlash in a press conference Tuesday morning saying ‘this is not discrimination, it’s about protecting people’ and insisting the mandate will help boost uptake of the vaccine.
Tuesday marks the first day of New York City’s new rule requiring anyone aged 12 and older to show proof of vaccination to dine indoors in the Big Apple’s restaurants.
Restaurants are required to put up a sign on their doors or windows reading that vaccination is required for customers looking to enter.
The rule has divided opinion in the hospitality industry, which was one of the hardest hit throughout the pandemic, having faced some of the longest and most grueling restrictions.
Some restaurants such as Danny Meyer’s famed Union Square Hospitality Group sites have already introduced mandates for staff and customers, regarding such a move as the best way to keep people safe and avoid further shutdowns.
However, other restaurants are less impressed, raising concerns about fake vaccine cards, lack of enforcement and what to do when unvaccinated patrons wish to dine indoors with the rest of their vaccinated party.
A New York City diner owner has blasted Mayor Bill de Blasio’s new vaccine mandate. Mary Josephine Generoso, manager of pastry shop and diner Pasticceria Rocco in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, stands in front of her store sign
Generoso (seen inside Rocco’s) said banning unvaccinated customers from eating indoors is discriminatory and is no different to banning people because they are black, Muslim or gay
Generoso vowed to ignore the mandate and has erected a huge sign in Rocco’s front window welcoming all customers to dine inside – regardless of their vaccination status.
‘We do not discriminate against any customer based on sex, gender, race, creed, age, vaccinated or unvaccinated. All customers who wish to patronize are welcome,’ the sign reads.
Generoso told DailyMail.com she believes the mayor is creating a divide between New Yorkers based on their vaccination status.
‘We are way past the civil rights era where we segregate people,’ she said.
‘I thought that was behind us but now the mayor is asking us to segregate people and is making a new class of people based on the vaccinated and unvaccinated.’
She warned that people should learn from history the dangers of rolling out such ‘discriminatory’ practices.
‘If people can’t see this is discrimination they should read history,’ she said.
‘This is not America.’
Generoso hit out at de Blasio’s claims that the mandate will get the city back on its feet and leave New Yorkers more confident they can dine out safely.
‘He said he is unlocking the city of New York. I think he’s closing New York,’ she said.
Instead, the mandate creates a ‘whole host of problems’, she said, and is effectively stopping families from going about their lives together.
Generoso vowed to ignore the mandate and has erected a huge sign in Rocco’s front window welcoming all customers to dine inside – regardless of their vaccination status (above)
Mary Josephine Generoso and Rocco Generoso (the owner of the eater) outside the front window Tuesday
Generoso in Rocco’s Tuesday. She told DailyMail.com the city is ‘segregating people’ with its new proof of vaccination requirement and warned it is a step back in time before the civil rights movement
She gave the example of a family with unvaccinated children aged six and 13.
Children aged 12 and over are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine and officials are urging parents to ensure they have taken the shot before returning to school this month.
Under de Blasio’s rules, the 13-year-old will be denied entry to sit inside a restaurant whereas the six-year-old can eat inside with vaccinated adults.
‘What if a parent is not ready to vaccinate their 13-year-old?’ Generoso asked.
‘You’re now telling people they can’t come to a restaurant and sit down as a family anymore.
‘You can’t take your child to a ball game anymore or go to the indoor area of a Yankees game.’
Generoso said, after putting up the sign earlier this month, Rocco’s had received an outpouring of support from customers nationwide.
‘We’ve had more support than I believed we would,’ she said.
‘People have come to me from other states, upstate, I’ve had emails from people in California and even outside the US.’
Generoso said the mandate creates a ‘whole host of problems’, she said, and is effectively stopping families from going about their lives together
She said she fears Rocco’s will be used as an example when enforcement and fines are rolled out next month
However, Generoso said she had hoped her sign would encourage other eateries to take a stand.
‘We put the sign up not for our patrons but because we thought other business owners would stand up in solidarity,’ she said.
While she said this hasn’t really happened, Generoso said some businesses have reached out saying ‘good for you’ and – with word spreading about her stand – she had just been contacted by a fellow business owner saying ‘he is going to join the fight.’
Generoso said she disagrees with the opinion of many restaurant bosses who think the new mandate is a positive thing that will help keep staff and customers safe, because COVID-19 is also spreading among the vaccinated.
‘The CDC says COVID-19 is still transmissible among vaccinated people so I don’t see the difference between vaccinated and unvaccinated people,’ she said.
Generoso added that she is concerned that Rocco’s will be penalized by the city when the mandate starts to be enforced in September.
‘I think there is now a target on my back and our restaurant will be scrutinized,’ she said.
However, Generoso maintained that she will continue to fight against the mandate even in the face of fines from the city.
Mayor de Blasio fired back at the backlash in a press conference Tuesday morning (above) saying ‘this is not discrimination, it’s about protecting people’
‘We’ve put the ball in motion and we’re not going to back down now,’ she said.
‘My stance that it’s discriminating and segregating people isn’t going to change.
‘My stance that it’s unconstitutional isn’t going to change.’
Stratis Morfogen, owner of the Brooklyn Chop House and the Brooklyn Dumpling Shop, echoed Generoso’s concerns telling the New York Post the mandate is ‘against our constitutional rights and everything we stand for’ and likened it to Nazi Germany.
‘What are we, the police? Asking our diners to ‘Show us ze papers,’ like in Nazi Germany?’ he said.
Morfogen also pointed to the proliferation of fake vaccine cards which he said sell for around $100 on the black market.
Federal officials have seized thousands of fake vaccine cards so far this year and Chuck Schumer, Senate Majority Leader and a New York Democrat, has called for a clampdown on counterfeit cards.
Some restaurants such as Danny Meyer’s (above) Union Square Hospitality Group sites have already introduced mandates for staff and customers
Morfogen described the whole thing as a ‘political sham’ adding that ‘twelve-year-olds can copy it.’
However, other restaurant industry insiders welcome New York City’s new rule.
Andrew Rigie, executive director of the NYC Hospitality Alliance, told DailyMail.com that requiring vaccine status an ‘essential step’ to protecting both staff and customers.
‘Keeping hospitality workers and customers safe from COVID-19 is an essential step toward protecting public health and preventing harsher restrictions that many restaurants and bars would not survive,’ he said.
‘We support the City’s efforts to get more New Yorkers vaccinated and we are already helping restaurants across the five boroughs comply with the new requirements.’
However, Rigie said the city needs to train and support restaurants in how to deal with these new policies.
‘The City’s outreach needs to target education and training for establishments to implement these policies, as they pose operational and economic challenges for understaffed restaurants, bars, and nightclubs struggling to recover,’ he said.
‘In return for industry businesses playing an extraordinary role in moving New York City forward with this vaccine requirement, City and State governments must support them and the Federal government must replenish the Restaurant Revitalization Fund.’
Some major restaurant groups had already introduced vaccine mandates for staff and patrons before the city announced its own rule on August 3.
Meyer, who is one of the Big Apple’s most renowned restaurateurs, announced on July 29 that all staff at his NYC and Washington DC restaurants must be vaccinated by September 7.
Union Square Hospitality Group which includes Gramercy Tavern (above) said before the city it would only allow fully vaccinated staff and patrons inside its restaurants
Workers have 45 days to get the shot or find a new job, he said.
All customers who want to eat or drink inside the group’s various restaurants must also show proof of vaccination.
The Union Square Hospitality Group includes famed NYC spots such as Gramercy Tavern, The Modern and Union Square Cafe.
Three Michelin-starred Manhattan restaurant Le Bernardin also led the charge, introducing its own mandate ahead of the city.
Renowned chef and owner Eric Ripert faced some backlash on social media after announcing the move but has insisted it is what customers want.
New York City’s mandate requires anyone 12 and older to show proof they have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine to dine indoors at restaurants, catering halls, event spaces, hotel banquet rooms, bars, nightclubs, cafeterias, grocery stores with indoor dining, coffee shops and fast food joints.
Workers at these locations are also required to be vaccinated.
Unvaccinated patrons can still dine in the outdoor dining areas of restaurants.
The mandate also applies to other indoor social settings including gyms, fitness centers, indoor pools, movie theaters, music and concert venues, museums, indoor stadiums and arenas, convention centers, bowling alleys and indoor play areas.
Office buildings and community and senior centers are not included.
To date, 74 percent of adults in New York City have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
This means almost a quarter of New York adults will no longer be able to enjoy many indoor activities.
To prove proof of vaccination, customers can show their paper vaccine card – or a photo of it – or use an app such as the Excelsior Pass.
The mandate, called the Key to NYC program, took effect August 17 but will not be formally enforced until September 13.
From that date, city inspectors will businesses found flouting the rules will be slapped with fines or $1,000 for a first offense, $2,000 for a second.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a press briefing Tuesday that the mandate is key to the Big Apple’s return to normalcy.
‘We do not want to go back to restrictions. The key to our progress is vaccination,’ he said.
De Blasio said the rule will enable people to enjoy normal life safely.
‘If you want to experience all the greatness that New York City has you can just get the vaccine,’ he said.
‘This is the way we stay heathy and bring back our city fully.’
He added that many restaurants are already on board with the plan, citing the importance of keeping staff and customers safe.
Pictured a customer shows a proof of vaccination to enter City Winery last month in NYC
‘A lot of restaurants and entertainment establishments are there already,’ he said.
‘They believe in this because they want their customers to be safe and their employees to be safe.’
De Blasio sought to ensure restaurant owners that the initiative will include training for staff on how to deal with confrontations from customers unhappy with the rules.
The city is launching a huge outreach to roll out the plan including a $10 million ad campaign, 600 canvassers and a hotline to support small businesses.
New York City is the first to implement a proof of vaccination requirement for patrons looking to dine indoors, but several other cities are following with similar plans.
San Francisco will allow only fully vaccinated people to dine indoors from Friday, with Palm Springs and Cathedral City requiring either proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test.
New Orleans’ mandate for a negative COVID-19 test or proof of vaccination starts Monday.
Meanwhile, officials in other parts of the company have pushed back against any form of vaccine mandate.
In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott has banned businesses from requiring proof of vaccination from customers and warned that bars will lose their liquor licenses if they defy the ban.
Florida has also banned vaccine passports across the state.
Border Patrol agents seize thousands of fake COVID vaccine cards shipped from China flooding into US cities
Fake vaccination cards shipped from China and disguised as greeting cards have flooded into the U.S. as cities begin to impose new restrictions against those who are not vaccinated.
US Customs and Border Protection agents seized more than 3,000 of the bogus cards mailed from China to New Orleans on Aug. 13.
The agency was on the lookout for the fake cards after monitoring a shipping hub in Memphis, Tennessee, where at least 15 parcels carrying the counterfeit papers were sent, The Washington Post reported.
‘If you do not wish to receive a vaccine, that is your decision. But don’t order a counterfeit, waste my officer’s time, break the law, and misrepresent yourself,’ Michael Neipert, CBP area port director of Memphis, said in a statement.
The US Customs and Border Protection has caught more than 3,000 fake COVID-19 vaccine cards going through a central shipping hub in Memphis, Tennessee
The cards often have spelling errors and improper Spanish translations on the back. Officials say the shipments come from China and are bound for cities across the US
The shipments were described as ‘Paper Greeting Cards/Use For-Greeting Card,’ or ‘PAPER PAPER CARD’ and were always from China, CBP officials said. They are filled with misspellings and improper translations.
In a statement, the agency added that ‘This was not the first time they had seen this shipper,’ noting the fake cards were being transported inside a non-CDC or medical vehicle.
The demand for fake cards comes amid stricter rules being implemented by cities around the country as the Delta variant is sparking a resurgence of COVID cases.
On Monday, New Orleans residents needed to provide proof of vaccination or negative COVID test results to enter bars, restaurants, music halls, the Superdome, casinos and other indoor facilities starting, with full enforcement beginning on Aug, 23.
New York and Los Angeles will require residents to have at least one shot before entering indoor restaurants, gyms and entertainment businesses
But LA will take it one step further and include ‘retail establishments.’
San Francisco’s mandate is even more stringent, insisting full vaccination – not just one dose – for customers and employees at restaurants, gyms and other indoor venues.
No city has given a clear indication on how the mandates will be enforced.
Some of the most populous cities in the US have begun issuing mandates to exclude the unvaccinated from indoor venues. It is unclear how they will be enforced
More signs like these have sprung up in New Orleans, informing customers that they need to present vaccine cards to enter the restaurants
A face vaccine card versus a real, government issued card. The counterfeits are very similar, but can sometimes have spelling errors or missing information, such as the date
Last week, New York’s Attorney General Letitia James issued a warning that anyone caught using fake vaccine cards would face criminal charges.
‘As the Delta variant becomes more prominent, it is more important than ever for New Yorkers to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
‘Not only do fake and fraudulently-completed vaccination cards violate federal and state laws and the public trust, but they also put the health of our communities at risk and potentially prolong this public health crisis.’
On Sunday, New York Senator Chuck Schumer called for a federal crackdown on face vaccine cards, demanding the CBP and FBI partner with the Department of Health and Human Services to start to put an end to the counterfeits, CBS reports.
The unauthorized use of these cards, which have seals of an official government agency, is a federal crime that carries a maximum of five years in prison.
The FBI first issued a statement about fake vaccination cards in March.
Most are being sold on Telegram, an encrypted site that is favored among people who don’t trust typical Silicon Valley giants like Facebook and Twitter.
On Telegram, people can buy vaccine cards that are approved by the CDC or NHS from anywhere between $25 and $400, The Associated Press reports.
Even cities without mandates have seen a frenzy of residents looking to get their hands on fake vaccine cards.
On Telegram, a group called ‘Texas Vaccination Card CDC’ has more than 4,000 members interested in buying fake cards and fit-to-fly certificates from anonymous sellers, Kxan, an NBC affiliate, reports.
Another group called ‘Fake Vaccine Cards,’ has 73,122 members.
‘Watch out and stay away from the vaccine its [sic] poisonous,’ one seller wrote on the website. ‘Get your cards without taking the vaccine and stay safe.’
Twitter and Facebook are controlling searches for it by directing anyone who searches ‘vaccine card’ to official government websites.
Norbert Chung and his son Trevor Chung were both arrested on Sunday, Aug. 8, at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport after arriving with fake vaccine cards to vacation
Todd Anderson, a bar owner in California, was arrested for selling cards like these earlier this year which he filled out
Anderson, the owner of the Old Corner Saloon bar in Clements, California, now faces federal charges
Higher learning institutions are also worried about their students using fake cards as at least 675 colleges and universities will require proof of COVID vaccines to attend classes.
‘As with anything that potentially requires a certification, there is the possibility for an individual to falsify documentation,’ said Michael Uhlenkamp, a spokesman for the chancellor’s office at California State University. The school system, which is the largest in the nation, oversees about 486,000 students each year on 23 campuses.
Benjamin Mason Meier, a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, questioned how institutions can verify the current vaccine cards.
‘The United States, unlike most countries which have electronic systems in place, is basing its vaccination on a flimsy paper card,’ he told The AP.
Meier added that he spoke with several students who knew a fellow student who had submitted a fake card to the university.
‘There need to be policies in place for accountability to make sure that every student is operating in the collective interest of the entire campus,’ he said.