Oxford’s Brick Street Bar and Grill announced the bar will now require proof of COVID-19 vaccination, a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours or evidence of a positive COVID antibody test before allowing entry. The announcement came in an Instagram post Thursday, July 29.
The statement also explained Brick Street hopes to host vaccine clinics on the premises during the day Monday through Thursday. The statement did not include when when those clinics would begin or at what times they would be held.
Brick Street will be providing incentives for guests to get vaccinated including drawings to win one of 50 VIP passes, as well as having the bar’s cover charge waived.
“We fully respect a person’s right to make their own decision about getting vaccinated,” the statement read. “At the same time, we hope that all of you respect our right to take precautions that we believe are in the best interest of our customers, employees and community.”
Mark Weisman, Brick Street’s co-owner, could not be immediately reached for comment.
So far, the post’s comments have been mostly positive.
Emerson Day, a senior public administration major, said he is glad to see Brick Street’s new policies.
“They're literally just asking the bare minimum,” Day said. “Just like asking people to get vaccinated – I think all bars should honestly be following suit.”
As of July 29, no other Oxford bar has released a statement explicitly requiring proof of vaccination before entry.
Day said he’ll be going back to Brick to support a business with this kind of policy.
“Seeing that they actively care about not only their workers, but about the community as well, I think that makes me excited,” Day said.
Dillon Canter, a senior kinesiology and premedical studies double major, also supports Brick Street’s new policy.
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But Canter also said this policy might help the university in its efforts to encourage vaccination. The COVID vaccine has not yet been fully approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), so Miami University can not require students to get vaccinated, despite its incentives.
“I imagine it encourages a lot of people to get the vaccine, they pretty much require it to go out which is smart, because it gets the campus vaccinated quicker,” Canter said. “Whereas the school, I don’t think the school is actually allowed to require it.”
The policy may also affect another problem of accidentally serving alcohol to minors in a college town. Day said because vaccine cards have guests’ names and birthdays on it, it will be harder for customers to lie about their ages.
“It is our hope that we will quickly get to the point where these added safety measures are no longer necessary,” the statement read. “Until that time, we greatly appreciate your understanding and support! Let’s have a great year! It’s time to move forward!”
In its post, Brick Street’s account mentions the rise of the Delta variant as being an important factor in its decision to change its policy.
Day hopes Brick Street’s policy will become a role model for the rest of the community.
“Good for them for setting an example of how we can move forward,” Day said, “how bars should be moving forward in addressing the new rise of Delta.”
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