LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Customers at one Louisville restaurant will need to show proof of vaccination for indoor dining.
CC’s Low Carb Kitchen in the 800 Building in downtown Louisville is believed to be the first in Kentucky to take that step.
“I personally had COVID in February, and I've still been dealing with long COVID. Most of our staff, actually, also had COVID,” said owner Corey Milliman.
Milliman said he made the decision to try and protect both his staff and his customers from the surging delta variant.
Beginning Wednesday, customers who want to eat inside the restaurant will need to show that they have either gotten the vaccine or had a negative COVID-19 test in the last 48 hours.
“When we see how the delta variant has been kind of ripping through our communities, we decided that we wanted to step up and kind of do something more to protect our customers,” he said.
Inside of CC's Kitchen in downtown Louisville.
Milliman said those who do not want to comply may be served on the restaurant’s outdoor patio. He said there are exemptions to the new policy, including children under age 12 who are not eligible for the vaccine.
Milliman said the reaction has been more than 70% positive since he announced the new policy on social media, and he said is not afraid of losing business.
“While there has been some public backlash and a lot of comments, our actual customers are really, really happy with the decision.”
But some lawmakers in Frankfort are not happy.
“A lot of folks across the commonwealth feel as though they will have been made into a second-class citizen,” Rep. Savannah Maddox, R-Dry Ridge, said.
Maddox, who represents District 61, has pre-filed a bill that would prevent public and private entities from discriminating based on vaccine status.
Kentucky State Representative Savannah Maddox speaks with people.
Maddox said she is not opposed to anyone receiving the vaccine, but it should not be required for employment or as a condition for service.
“The appropriate role of government is to protect life, liberty and property,” said Maddox. “But in this particular scenario, the defense of liberty outweighs the other interests because human beings are not property.”
Milliman said his vaccine requirement is “not about politics” but about safety.
“I think this is something proactive we can do to keep our customers safe and give them a place where they feel safe to dine," Milliman said.
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