In a statement to The Times, the health department said it issued a “final notice of violation and a notice of closure” to the location for failing to comply with the city’s public health order. RELATED: Mexico's ruling party is divided as president stands by a candidate accused of rape Health officials told employees they were being shut down because they weren’t stopping customers who didn’t have proper vaccination documentation from coming inside, Wensinger said. 14, when, according to Wensinger, Department of Public Health representatives closed the chain’s location at 333 Jefferson St. That is why San Francisco requires proof of vaccination for indoor dining.” “Vaccination is particularly important in a public indoor setting where groups of people are gathering and removing their masks, factors that make it easier for the virus to spread. “Vaccines remain our best tool to fight this disease and come out of the pandemic,” department officials said in a statement. The San Francisco Department of Public Health, meanwhile, stands by its enforcement actions. “This is clear governmental overreach and is intrusive, improper and offensive.”

“We fiercely disagree with any government dictate that forces a private company to discriminate against customers who choose to patronize their business,” he said in a statement. But that’s far from a universal view.Īs Arnie Wensinger, In-N-Out’s chief legal and business officer, put it: “We refuse to become the vaccination police for any government.” Many businesses have welcomed these sorts of rules, saying it gives them government backing to do what they think is safe. But they also place an additional burden on businesses and leave government officials grappling with how to deal with scofflaws. Such mandates aim to slow the spread of COVID-19 both by reducing potential exposure and encouraging more people to get vaccinated. Next month, the city of Los Angeles will require that eateries, shopping malls and many other indoor venues check customers’ vaccination status.

The fast-food chain publicly decried the action but took steps to reopen just a few days later.īut as more communities across California require proof of vaccination for many retailers and other public venues, the battle over enforcement of the new rules is just beginning to heat up.

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