A restaurant in California that has been defiant against COVID-19 restrictions for months is now displaying signs encouraging its customers to show “proof of unvaccination.”
Basilico’s Pasta e Vino Restaurant in Huntington Beach has frequently rejected coronavirus lockdowns and mandates, often going against the state’s suggestions to provide safety measures to slow the spread of the virus.
In December, it refused to shut down during a lockdown order initiated by Governor Gavin Newsom. Then, when officials issued several orders for companies to mandate face coverings, the Orange County restaurant declared itself a mask-free zone and required that diners remove them before entering.
Now the company says that they will only serve unvaccinated customers after the Centers for Disease Control said that fully vaccinated individuals should once again wear their masks indoors in certain areas with high transmission rates.
“Here they come to lock you down again,” the restaurant said in an Instagram post.
The restaurant management said it will be “requiring proof” that diners are in fact unvaccinated. It remains unclear how staff would go about checking on a customer’s vaccination status.
The company also introduced “The Basilico’s Declaration and Pledge of Defiance” with the hope that other restaurants join their movement.
Also, a sign outside the windows of Basilico’s Paste e Vino Italian restaurant reads; “We have zero tolerance for treasonous, anti-American stupidity.”
The pledge also asks that other restaurants remain fully open if the state was to implement another lockdown. It also encourages the businesses to hang an American flag and a “Don’t Tread on Me” flag. Businesses are also asked to ignore any citations, court appearances, and ban masks inside.
“We understand that masks are the greatest weapons of the lockdowns,” said Basilico’s owner Tony Roman in the Instagram video. “They are used to divide Americans, just like the vaccination, and they represent fear, control and surrender.”