In another sign that we could soon see a shred of normalcy in the restaurant industry, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced this week that restaurant workers are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccination.
The lone caveat—workers can get vaccinated if local governments can spare the shots. Along with members of the restaurant industry, Cuomo also added taxi drivers and workers at facilities for the developmentally disabled to the eligibility list. The current vaccine-eligible group, dubbed Phase 1b, got onto the list because the federal government recently released additional vaccine doses to New York State.
During his press conference on Tuesday, Feb. 2, Cuomo referred specifically to NYC leadership, stating, “I’m leaving it up to local governments to make sure what fits their situation best. I don’t know if Mayor de Blasio will want to vaccinate taxi drivers or restaurant workers first, but that’s a local determination for the local health department to make.”
The news of restaurant workers being added to the vaccination-eligible list came as somewhat of a surprise, as just the day before, Cuomo said there wasn’t a large enough supply of shots to consider vaccinating any of the foodservice industry.
Clearly, COVID-19 vaccination eligibility tends to shift and change by the day. At a moment's notice, you could potentially have more team members come back to work or see even more than 25 percent of your eatery filled with paying customers.
Stay up to date with our blog and keep an eye on your stock of restaurant supplies—contact your Sam Tell sales rep to fill any orders you’ve been meaning to address!