Vaccination cards required to dine in restaurants or attend sporting events in Philadelphia

Philadelphia vaccine mandate: Vaccine cards now required to dine in or attend sporting events

Philadelphia now requires all patrons of dine-in restaurants or sporting events to show vaccine cards as proof of vaccination in order to be served or attend games in the city.

SOUTH PHILADELPHIA - Time is up and the grace period on Philadelphia’s vaccine mandate for places that serve food is over. Establishments can no longer accept negative tests, but need proof of vaccination.

"I think it's absolutely ridiculous," said Butchie Gallo. He’s a regular at Stogie Joe's on East Passyunk. But, dining in was a little different Tuesday, as patrons have to show vaccination cards.

"I didn't want to show the card. I didn't feel like it was anybody's business, but I wanted to come here and support the people I know," Gallo added.

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Others dining in didn’t think it was a big deal. One block away, at Marra's Restaurant, the manager talked about the new mandate.

"The business hasn't been the same," manager Giuseppe DeLuca stated. He says he believed when the mandate was announced for two weeks ago, it would hurt business.

"I feel like not everyone is vaccinated out there. I mean, there's a lot of people that probably still aren't and now that they aren't vaccinated, they can't even come out to eat," DeLuca explained. He says his family-owned business has been operating since the 1920's, and is now receiving mainly delivery orders.

"I'm not saying they should be or shouldn't be, but if you're not vaccinated, you can't go out to eat, pretty much. I know people who are going to Jersey right now to eat because you have to show your vaccine card to go out to eat," DeLuca remarked.

It's not just restaurants and bars, but sporting events, too. People going into the Flyers game Tuesday night, at Wells Fargo Center, were required to show vaccination cards and identification before entering.