H eadlines
Mandate Continued from Page 1
Despite the challenge
it presents to business, the
vaccine mandate is still a “good
thing,” he added.

“If everybody were to get
vaccinated, we could try to
squash this virus,” he said.

Sam Uelkokhan,
the general manager of the Jewish-
owned Shish-Kabob Palace in
Northeast Philadelphia, agrees
with that statement but not the
mandate. Shish-Kabob Palace just
became profitable again after
a difficult stretch during the
pandemic. In Uelkokhan’s
year working there, it’s gotten
busier each week, he said.

To stay profitable, the
Middle Eastern eatery needs
its regulars, Uelkokhan said.

A vaccine mandate may turn
some of them away.

“I was born and raised in
Northeast Philadelphia. I know
these people,” he said. “They
believe what they believe.”
The manager thinks those
customers will choose another
establishment. “If they have to avoid
coming here, they will,” he
said. “Especially when you can
drive for 15 minutes and be in
a county (Bucks) that does not
have this mandate.”
Uelkokhan believes in the
vaccine himself. As he put it,
“I’m not an anti-vaxxer.”
He has also enforced the
city’s mask mandate, which
requires patrons to wear one
inside until they sit down to
eat. The manager enforces this
even though, sometimes, it’s
only for a 5-foot walk.

When people are unwilling
to wear the cover while waiting
for takeout, Uelkokhan even
asks them to wait outside.

But the mask requirement
does not restrict business since
it doesn’t ask people to wear
one during the meal. A vaccine
mandate would prevent unvac-
cinated patrons from even
getting to the table.

“A lot of people are going
12 JANUARY 6, 2022
to look at us,” Uelkokhan
said. “Like it’s us that are not
allowing them to come in.”
“I don’t see what limiting
my business is going to do,” he
added. According to the city, it will
motivate more residents to get
vaccinated, lower case counts
and limit hospitalizations.

Due to the omicron
variant, in the final week of
2021 Philadelphia saw record
highs for case rates for the
almost two-year pandemic. In
Pennsylvania, COVID hospi-
talizations crossed 5,000 for
the first time since last winter.

“Philly hospitals are very
stressed,” said Jim Garrow,
a spokesperson for the city’s
Public Health Department.

Owners and managers of
Jewish restaurants in Philly
understand that concern.

And even if they are worried
about the mandate’s impact on
business, they said they just
want to know what they have
to do to comply.

Garrow said the city is
putting the word out through
business associations and
media outlets. But several
restaurant owners have not
heard about specific protocols
for the mandate.

“We understand those
avenues aren’t always the best
for all restaurant owners in the
city,” Garrow said.

Even the city’s initial mandate
announcement on its website,
though, did not specify the
definition of fully vaccinated.

“Completing vaccinations
means that they have completed
the series of any vaccine that
has been approved or autho-
rized by either the Food and
Drug Administration or the
World Health Organization to
prevent COVID-19,” read the
announcement. Garrow said that the city
would follow the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention’s
determination, too. At the
moment, the CDC definition
The Shish-Kabob Palace in
Northeast Philadelphia
Courtesy of the Shish-Kabob Palace
is two shots of the Pfizer or
Moderna vaccine or one shot of
the Johnson & Johnson product.

So, for now, that is the city’s
definition as well.

In other words, you don’t
need the booster to be consid-
ered fully vaccinated — and
to eat in a city restaurant. You
just need to show your card or
a picture of your card, marked
with two shots, or one for J&J,
at the door.

Garrow confirmed that the
city would continue to follow
the CDC’s definition moving
forward. “We’ve followed them
throughout the pandemic and,
as we learn more, guidance
changes,” he said.

Only about a third of fully
JEWISH EXPONENT
vaccinated American adults
have gotten the booster, per
the CDC.

City officials are not sure
how long they will continue the
mandate. Restaurant owners
and managers are considering
it alongside their other plans
during the winter surge of
cases. “I believe we’ll continue
to do indoor dining,” said
Pieter Michalis, a shift leader
at Merkaz, an Israeli establish-
ment in Center City. “The only
difference is we’ll be asking for
the COVID vaccination card.” l
jsaffren@jewishexponent.com; 215-832-0740
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