Three local music venues require proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 test at door

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - Starting Friday at Tipitina’s, Maple Leaf Bar, and d.b.a you have to show either your completed vaccination card or a negative test result, no more than three days old at the door along with a valid, matching I.D. in order to get into the show.

“We cannot afford another loss like we did last year,” Brian Greenberg, General Manager of Tipitina’s said.

Greenberg says it’s not just about keeping the doors open, but doing their part to stop the spread by creating a safe and healthy space for customers and musicians who are beginning to feel nervous again.

“Once we started seeing numbers come up again, they were asking if there were extra precautions that we would take and it started showing us that people are starting to lose their comfort level again,” Greenberg said.

Local musicians like Dr. Sick are starting to have a vax or mask requirement at their shows, something he hopes will be mandatory everywhere.

“I don’t want to punish anyone who doesn’t want to get vaccinated, I don’t want to punish anyone who hasn’t been tested, I want to reward the people who have been vaccinated and have been getting regular negative tests because I don’t want to close again, I need to work,” Dr. Sick said.

Both locals and visitors on Frenchmen Friday evening were fairly open to the idea of showing either proof of vaccination or a negative test.

“It’s gonna be a good preventative measure,” Kaylin Gordon, a visitor said. “I actually work for a big hospital in Arkansas and all of our ER is so booked, like so packed that they’re having to treat people in their triage rooms.”

While some didn’t know they would need their proof on hand to get into d.b.a., others were prepared.

“If I have to carry around a piece of paper, I already carry around a cash and ID and my credit card, it’s one extra thing,” another visitor, Sam Mills said. “Anywhere, any place that needs to be extra cautious of their servers or their wait staff, I think we should go ahead and do that, you know, I’m sure some people don’t want to get vaccinated, and they can choose not to go to the bar.”

That was the case for some. While maybe not unvaccinated, they did not feel comfortable showing the bouncers.

“I work in medical and I think that’s kind of a HIPAA violation. So yeah, that’s the way I feel about it. I don’t want anybody to know my medical information,” one woman, who did not wish to be identified, said. “That’s infringing on our rights and I’m vaccinated, but, you know, that’s like asking for all my medical [records]”

Venues like Tipitina’s are recommending you download and use the LA Wallet app because you can upload your vaccination card along with your ID so it’s all in one place and easy to access once you’re at the door.

See a spelling or grammar error in our story? Click Here to report it. Please include the headline.

Copyright 2021 WVUE. All rights reserved.