Hey, Santa, Get Vaxed! Hoboken Issues Mandate For Bar Crawlers

HOBOKEN, NJ — With the annual Santacon bar crawl slated for this Saturday in mile-square Hoboken — and COVID cases increasing around the country — the mayor signed an executive order Thursday saying that "any Hoboken bar or restaurant participating in a bar crawl must require attendees to show proof of vaccination in order to enter that establishment on Saturday, Dec. 18, and Sunday, Dec. 19."

Mayor Ravi Bhalla and Office of Emergency Management Coordinator Sgt. William Montanez signed the order.

The vaccine mandate will be required for anyone 21 years of age and older, a city spokesperson said. Patrons will be required to show they have received a full course of a CDC approved vaccine at least two weeks prior to Dec. 18.

The Office of Emergency Management will oversee compliance with the Executive Order and vaccine mandate "in order to protect the health and safety of participants and Hoboken residents," said a press release. "Any bar or establishment participating in a bar crawl in violation of the OEM Emergency Order may be subject to immediate closure, liquor license revocation or disciplinary suspension."

“If you’re not vaccinated, our message is simple: don’t bother participating in a bar crawl this weekend,” said Bhalla.

As of this week, 800,000 people have passed away from coronavirus. Locally, numbers are on the rise, although much lower than a year ago at this time. READ MORE: Six People Fighting COVID-19 In Hoboken Hospital, Up From Zero

Additional information about the vaccine requirement:

• Proof of vaccination will be required for indoor entry to the establishments participating in a bar crawl this Saturday and Sunday

• Those who are fully vaccinated are two weeks removed from a two-dose Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, utilizing the CDC guidelines

• Staff at the bar or restaurant participating in a bar crawl will be required to ensure any patron entering the indoor establishment provides proof of full vaccination

• Any individual without proof of vaccination must be denied entry by the establishment’s staff

• Acceptable proof of vaccination must state individual’s first and last name and includes a CDC vaccination card, the Dockett mobile app, New York City COVID Safe App, and Excelsior Pass

• Proof of identification must be required and must match the name listed on the vaccination card or applicable app.

• The vaccine mandate for bars will be in effect for the entirety of Saturday, December 18 and will end at 6 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 19.

Any additional bar or restaurant not subject to the Executive Order is encouraged by the Office of Emergency Management to institute a vaccine requirement for entry this weekend.

Bar crawl events are not provided a permit and are not a sanctioned event through the city of Hoboken.

The infamous crawl called Santacon is scheduled again for this coming Saturday, with at least 10 bars participating and tickets as much as $40.99.

A city spokesperson had told Patch on Wednesday that officials will keep an eye on local bars. READ MORE: Santa, Go Home, Says City Of Hoboken About 2021 Santacon

Last year, the event promoters officially canceled the event due to virus concerns. The mayor and then-Police Chief Kenneth Ferrante had called it as "potential superspreader event" at the time. READ MORE: Hoboken Says 2020 Santacon 'Potential Superspreader' Is Canceled

In the past, Ferrante had posted popular updates on Twitter about the event, such as:

But city officials are no longer laughing.

For their part, bars in Hoboken have said that special days, such as St. Patrick's Day, earn them enough income to keep them alive through slow times.

"If the law is broken," said city spokesperson Marilyn Baer this week, "officers will issue summonses or make arrests, and if participating bars have violations, they will be sanctioned.”

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This article originally appeared on the Hoboken Patch