It's Time We Stopped Allowing The Inmates To Run The Asylum

Why we need to stop allowing the unvaccinated to run the show

With coronavirus cases continuing to rise, Los Angeles is now considering a proposal to require proof of COVID-19 inoculation as a condition of entry at a host of indoor public spaces in what, if passed, would be the widest-ranging vaccination-verification effort in the city yet.

The motion, introduced Wednesday by City Council President Nury Martinez and Councilman Mitch O’Farrell, would require eligible individuals to demonstrate that they’ve received at least one vaccination dose to visit indoor places such as restaurants, bars, retail stores, gyms, spas, movie theaters, stadiums and concert venues.

The move comes amid a surge in coronavirus cases fueled by the highly infectious Delta variant, which has both public officials and private businesses scrambling to slow the spread. Some L.A. restaurants have already begun requiring proof of vaccination for customers, saying they hope that action can forestall the more intense restrictions seen earlier in the pandemic that pushed some retailers to their breaking point.

A growing number of public agencies, private firms and universities are also imposing vaccination requirements. But the new proposal would expand the concept dramatically in L.A.

We’ve been hearing it for weeks now, from the President to public health officials to doctors and on down the line: We’re in a pandemic of the unvaccinated. But what does that mean? Simply put, it means that if Americans had done the right thing- getting vaccinated- there would be no reason to have this conversation. If Americans had done the right thing for the right reason- to protect themselves and those around them- we wouldn’t be burying friends and loved ones.

What we find ourselves in the midst of is essentially a pandemic of irresponsibility, selfishness, and stupidity. If you think that sounds judgmental, I mean it to be. We’ve had 18 months to get used to how COVID-19 is communicated. We know that vaccines are safe, widely available, AND EFFECTIVE. Yet, despite this, there are still those among us who believe they know better; they don’t trust the science behind the vaccines.

There are still those who get their information from Facebook, Parler, and Twitter…even as they reject the knowledge and experience of the scientific community. Too often, “I’ve done my research” means “I’ve read the articles I’ve found on Facebook.” It means that life and death decisions are being influenced and, in some cases, made based on disinformation.

These folks are the reasons why the Delta variant is now running rampant from coast to coast. They’re the reasons why ICUs are running short of hospital beds. They’re the reasons why health care professionals from Bellingham, WA, to Boca Raton, FL, are burning out.

Things have become so bad that large cities like New York and Los Angeles are actively considering proof of COVID-19 vaccination as a condition for accessing public indoor spaces. Conservatives like Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham are holding forth about the abject tyranny of "vaccine passports,” but isn’t this little more than enabling irresponsibility and selfishness? Isn’t it time we demanded that the “personal responsibility” crowd be personally responsible? Isn’t it time we stopped allowing the unvaccinated to set the agenda?

Politics aside, let’s consider the reality we face. More than 99% of all COVID-19 deaths currently are among the unvaccinated. Hundreds of millions of Americans have been vaccinated without incident, and even when the vaccinated test positive for COVID-19, they tend not to become very ill.

The truth is simple- the three available vaccines are safe and effective. But, unfortunately, those who are refusing to be vaccinated are essentially expecting the rest of us to carry their burden. They don’t trust the medical community enough to believe that the vaccines are safe and effective, but they demand immediate life-saving medical intervention when they test positive for COVID-19.

Barn door, meet horse….

Yes, we all face mandates and restrictions. No one likes to be told they can’t or must do something. We live in extraordinary times, though, and we can’t escape the reality that all of us have a responsibility to something larger than ourselves.

Those who refuse to accept that responsibility need to understand that rights don’t exist in a vacuum. They come paired with corresponding responsibilities.

If you feel that you have the “right” to go into public spaces, you must also understand that said right isn’t absolute. In a time when crowded public spaces can be Petri dishes for the spread of COVID-19, each of us has a responsibility to do whatever we can to reduce that risk.

In this case, the price of admission to crowded public spaces is- and should be- proof of vaccination. If you cannot see your way clear to meeting that responsibility, you can’t claim a “right” to enter public spaces like restaurants, arenas, theaters, etc.

Here in Portland, bars are banding together in what they’re calling a “Vaxx Coalition.” They plan to agree to deny entrance to anyone who cannot or will not prove that they’re vaccinated.

Some, like the Northwest neighborhood bar Paymaster, quietly began asking vaccination status at the door, or allowing those who had been vaccinated to walk around maskless. Others, like Bar Bar and the attached Mississippi Studios require “proof of vaccination or negative Covid test within 48 hours” for entry.

A production company called Folk Magik Presents announced that all their shows would require vaccination proof for entry, which means that a number of upcoming Bunk Bar and Wonder Ballroom shows will require proof at the door.

Now a group of publicans seeks to formalize a vaccine requirement as a condition of entry to their watering holes.

Teardrop Lounge owner Daniel Shoemaker says he and a number of other bars—including Rum Club, Old Gold, Paydirt and Tough Luck—are working to form a coalition that will all agree to require vaccination at the door. At this time they’re “loosely calling it Vaxx Coalition,” Shoemaker said via a phone interview.

The initiative follows in the footsteps of San Francisco’s scene. On July 26, 300 bars belonging to the San Francisco Bar Owners Alliance announced that they would require customers to show proof of vaccination in order to sit inside. The group does not require vaccination proof for outdoor seating and lets the allied bars enforce what constitutes proof of vaccination on their terms.

Erin and I took the effortless step of putting photographs of our vaccination cards on our cell phones. We’re happy to show them when asked. Any inconvenience is momentary, and if that “inconvenience” helps save a life, it’s absolutely worth it. Even if it doesn’t, the extra precaution shows that the venue AND those who wish to be there take COVID-19 seriously.

It also shows that they recognize and have willingly met their responsibility to the wider community.

The move toward vaccine mandates and passports isn’t particularly onerous, and it still leaves you with a personal choice. Of course, you can still reject the vaccine…but you must understand that making such a choice means that you will lose your right to enter public spaces.

No one’s talking about jack-booted thugs proceeding street by street and pulling vaccine-reluctant individuals out of their homes to inoculate them forcibly. That would certainly be an efficient and speedy way to achieve herd immunity, but it’s also unnecessary. No, all we really need to do is make it clear that if people want to take part in day-to-day life, there’s a responsibility that they must first meet.

There are a growing number of people who feel as I do that the unvaccinated having been given far too much power in determining what society can do. It’s time to restrict those too irresponsible and self-absorbed to do the right thing.

If they refuse to meet their responsibility, they have no right to expect to participate in the day-to-day activities engaged in by a vaccinated society. If the unvaccinated see that as discriminatory, they should. It is…and I’m OK with that. I’m tired of my health and well-being being jeopardized by irresponsibility, selfishness, and willful ignorance.

It’s time for the “personal responsibility” crowd to prove that they’re willing to exercise some of their own. The responsible majority should be setting the rules…and enforcing them.