San Francisco’s Only In-N-Out Closed For Not Following City’s Vaccine Requirement

in double-double trouble

San Francisco was briefly without an In-N-Out, after the Department of Public Health closed down the only location in the city over staff refusing to check customers for proof of COVID-19 vaccination.

Under the city’s COVID-19 health order, folks must present proof of vaccination to enter eating places, bars, clubs, and gyms. The San Francisco Department of Public Health stated it obtained a complaint in late September concerning the In-N-Out at Fisherman’s Wharf violating the order, and the popular fast food spot was warned a number of times before it was briefly shuttered for noncompliance on Thursday.

In-N-Out stated the restaurant has since reopened, however indoor eating is unavailable. Arnie Wensinger, the company’s chief legal and business officer, mentioned in a statement that In-N-Out refuses to “become the vaccination police for any government. It’s unreasonable, invasive, and unsafe to force our restaurant associates to segregate customers into those that could be served and people who might not, whether or not based on the documentation they carry or any other reason.”

The Department of Public Health is not backing down, with officials saying in a statement that vaccines “remain our greatest tool to battle this disease and come out of the pandemic. Vaccination is especially essential in a public indoor setting where groups of individuals are gathering and removing their masks, factors that make it easier for the virus to spread. That’s the reason San Francisco requires proof of vaccination for indoor dining.”