Tourists Charged With Assaulting New York Restaurant Host Who Asked For Vaccine Proof

Starting this week, New York requires people dining at restaurants indoors to show proof of at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
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Three women from Texas were charged with assaulting a host at a New York City restaurant Thursday evening after she asked for proof of COVID vaccination, as the city now requires for indoor dining.

The 24-year-old host at Carmine’s, an Italian restaurant on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, was struck multiple times with closed fists, resulting in bruises and scratches on her face, chest, and arm, and a broken necklace, police said.

Cellphone video shows the tourists nearly knocking over the host stand as the worker tried to back away. The assailants responded by grabbing at her neck and chest, the video shows.

The women, aged 49, 44, and 21, all residents of the Houston area, were charged with assault and criminal mischief.

New York City requires people dining indoors to show proof they’ve received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine. Enforcement began on Monday.

Carmine’s owner Jeff Banks told CBS New York the hostess is OK, but remains unsettled. He said he’s hired extra security for the restaurant entrance.

“This turned into a mess. And from there, it’s inexcusable, it’s ridiculous,” Banks said, noting that he has no problem with the vaccine mandate.

Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer called the assault “completely unacceptable” on social media, adding: “There’s no place for this kind of violence to be perpetrated against our essential workers.”

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