A California restaurant asking patrons for proof they're unvaccinated was once fined $165,520 for not protecting staff and diners from COVID
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Maria Noyen
Jul 31, 2021, 00:00 IST
An anti-vaccination sign is taped to the window of Basilico's Pasta e Vino in Huntington Beach, California.
Jeff Gritchen/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images
Basilico's Pasta e Vino in Huntington Beach says it's "requiring proof" patrons aren't vaccinated.
In June, the restaurant was fined $165,520 for failing to meet California's COVID-19 regulations.
Meanwhile, COVID-19 cases surge in California and across the US.
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An Italian eatery in California is requiring patrons to show proof of being unvaccinated and discourages masks despite a local surge in COVID-19 cases.
Basilico's Pasta e Vino in Huntington Beach, California, shared a Facebook post on July 22 with photos showing two anti-vaccination signs on its windows that say: "We have zero tolerance for treasonous, anti-American stupidity. Thank you for pondering."
"More American counties, cities, and businesses doubling down on anti-American lockdown mandates? Well 'Basilico's Pasta e Vino' just tripled down," the restaurant's Facebook post caption reads. "From day one, never complied, banned masks, and now ... requiring proof of being Un-vaccinated!"
Basilico's disregard for COVID-19 prevention has not gone unnoticed by the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR), which issued the establishment five citations on June 17, with fines totaling $165,520 due to be paid this July.
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The violations in the DIR's report range from "serious" to "willful-serious" and demonstrate a failure to provide sufficient COVID-19 protection to both employees and diners, according to the report. The DIR's inspection found that the restaurant failed to "provide face coverings and ensure they were worn by employees" indoors, according to its report.
Although Basilico's appears to be maintaining its anti-vaccination stance, according to a ProPublica database, the restaurant accepted $57,738 in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funding. Through the PPP, small businesses could apply for federally backed loans that would help them stay afloat during the pandemic by covering expenses and maintaining staff levels.
The restaurant's opposition to vaccines and mask-wearing comes as the highly infectious COVID-19 Delta variant surges throughout the country.
"Information on the Delta variant from several states and other countries indicates that, on rare occasions, some vaccinated people infected with the Delta variant after vaccination may be contagious and spread the virus to others," CDC director Rochelle Walensky said in a Tuesday press call.
However, Walensky said, vaccines continue to prove to be highly effective in preventing serious cases: "The vast majority of transmission, the vast majority of severe disease, hospitalization, and death is almost exclusively happening among unvaccinated people."
"We've been anxiously watching the NYC infection rate creep back up," owner Patricia Howard told Insider. "We can't control whether the person next to us on the subway is wearing a mask, but we can control who gets to come through our doors."
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