In an effort to quell recent surges of COVID-19 cases due to the Omicron variant, the Village of Skokie enacted a vaccine mandate for businesses on Jan. 10th. It states that indoor settings where food or drink are served for on-premises consumption must require patrons of five years and older to show proof of full vaccination to be allowed seating.

If you’ve gone out to dine-in at a restaurant recently, you know the drill – have your vaccine card and identification at hand, display it to a greeter and you’ll be allowed inside. Alongside customers being required to show proof of vaccination, employees must also be fully vaccinated or show proof of a negative COVID-19 test weekly to continue working.

“We’ve had a couple of people call, be upset with the mandate, and not come in, we’ve had a couple of people come in and not have the proper documentation and get turned away, and they were obviously upset. It hasn’t been that huge of a deal, but there have been a few times that things happened,” said Marcos Rivera, owner of Libertad, a popular Latin American restaurant in downtown Skokie.

Many residents of Skokie have been upset by the mandate, with some forming a protest in front of the Village Hall to voice their disapproval of the new rule. It shows in business too – Rivera says that he’s noticed a downturn in patrons following the Jan. 10th enactment.

“It slowed business down quite a bit. We were able to see the difference from pretty much one day to the next when it was announced. Reservations started getting canceled.”

Due to strict adherence to the requirements, Rivera and his employees at Libertad have been able to avoid COVID and continue work as normal, despite business setbacks.

However, other restaurants in the Skokie area reportedly vary in how they enforce the mandate. Senior Rainn del Mundo shared his experiences with mandate and restaurant noncompliance.

“I’ve been to a few restaurants where I went in and they only asked me for my vaccine card, not my ID. I’ll bet that a good amount of restaurants don’t even follow the mandate at all,” del Mundo said.

According to the vaccine mandate order, if businesses fail to comply it may result in a misdemeanor with a fine of up to $2500, revocation or suspension of a business license or a closure of the business altogether.

Restaurant-goers aren’t limited to only using their CDC vaccine card as proof; patrons can also use a photo of their card, apps that provide a digital record of vaccination, and a printed record from their vaccine provider.

According to Health and Human Services Director Michael Charley, “nearly 78 percent of Skokie residents are fully vaccinated,” leaving roughly 22 percent of residents who will need to opt for take-out or delivery.