Biometrics app Clear and OpenTable are teaming up to let restaurant-goers prove their vaccination status at the same time they are making a dinner reservation, according to CNN Business.
When a user tries to make a reservation through the OpenTable app, it will display a "Clear" banner at the top of the reservation confirmation if the restaurant has a vaccine requirement. Users can click on the banner to sign up for a free digital vaccine card through Clear. The feature will be added to iPhone and Android apps in September, according to OpenTable.
OpenTable CEO Debby Soo told CNN that the company's partnership with Clear is meant to help restaurants that have struggled to make it through the pandemic.
"As you can imagine, providing good hospitality is a challenge during normal times, but during the pandemic, and various stages of the pandemic, it's been incredibly hard to keep abreast of all the changes, pivoting, and now for restaurants in some cities like New York and San Francisco, providing proof of vaccination," she said.
A number of cities -- New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles -- have already approved ordinances that require proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID-19 test to enter places like bars, restaurants and gyms. Now that the Pfizer vaccine has received full FDA approval for ages 16 and older, health experts expect an increase in employers and local governments mandating vaccinations.
L.A. Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas expressed his support for requiring proof of vaccination to enter an indoor venue in a social media post. He said, "Mandatory vaccinations are unavoidable."
Ridley-Thomas added that the highly contagious Delta variant currently sweeping L.A. requires the city to act.
OpenTable lists 450 restaurants on its website that require anyone who wants to eat inside to be vaccinated against COVID-19, and be able to show proof.
According to Soo, the number of seated restaurant-goers declined 11 percent nationally in August compared with July.
Clear's mobile app allows individuals to upload a photo of a COVID-19 vaccination card from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Users will also need to upload a selfie or scan an ID card, which allows Clear to use facial recognition technology and verify the user's identity.
