A handful of City Winery patrons in Atlanta enjoy a drink at the bar earlier this year. Ligaya Figueras / [email protected]
By Kelly Yamanouchi
A growing number of businesses including entertainment and sport venues are starting to require proof of COVID-19 vaccination for entry.
So what do you need to do to get inside?
There are a few simple steps to enter places in metro Atlanta like Variety Playhouse, Terminal West, Argosy and City Winery that already require or plan to require vaccination proof for entry.
One, get vaccinated and find a safe place to keep the COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card you are given when you get the shots.
Two, take a photo of your completed vaccination card with your phone.
Three, make a paper copy of your vaccination card to keep with you. You can photocopy your card or print out a photo of the card. Some people also laminate a copy of their vaccination card to keep with them.
If you had documentation but misplaced it, all is not lost. You can begin by contacting your vaccine provider. The provider also is required to report vaccinations to state immunization information systems. For Georgia, the immunization registry can be found here on the Georgia Department of Public Health’s website, which includes a form to request an official immunization record. The registry can also be reached by email at [email protected] or by telephone at 404-463-0810.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not have vaccination record information, but its website can direct you to relevant authorities in any state.
Before going to a venue that requires vaccination, check the rules on the venue’s website. Venues often accept a paper copy of your vaccination card, and some will accept a digital copy.
Live music company AEG will require proof of full COVID-19 vaccination starting Oct. 1 at its venues including Variety Playhouse in Little Five Points, Terminal West on the Westside, the Eastern in Reynoldstown and the Georgia Theatre in Athens. Before Oct. 1, AEG will require proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test taken within 72 hours of the show.
To fulfill the vaccination requirement, AEG says it will accept “a physical copy of a COVID-19 vaccination card, a digital copy of the card or other proof permitted locally.” Those who forget their proof of vaccination won’t get in.
The company will accommodate medical and religious exemptions with documentation as required by the venue, but a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of the event will also be required.
“The message we want to send is simple and clear: the only way to be as safe as possible is to require everyone to be vaccinated,” said AEG general counsel Shawn Trell in a written statement.
Live Nation, which owns venues including Ameris Bank Amphitheatre in Alpharetta and Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood and oversees Music Midtown, starting Oct. 4 will require vaccination or a recent negative COVID test for attendees.
Ameris Bank Amphitheatre and Cellairis Amphitheatre on their websites say they require either the original vaccination card or a printed copy of the vaccination card, or printed proof of a negative COVID-19 test within 48 hours of the event.
Music Midtown says to fulfill the vaccine requirement, those who attend the Sept. 18-19 festival must get their second shot of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine or single dose of the J&J vaccine by Friday, Sept. 3. Attendees must bring a printed copy of their vaccine card or negative COVID-19 test result.
City Winery, which has its Atlanta location at Ponce City Market, is requiring customers to have a physical or smartphone copy of their vaccine card or a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours.
East Atlanta restaurant Argosy is asking customers to carry an original copy or digital version of a vaccine card, such as a photo on a smartphone, to show upon request. Nearby restaurants Mary’s, Banshee and OK Yaki are also requiring vaccination for entry.
Read the original story on AJC.com.
