2 of Kansas City’s LGBTQ bars to require customers show proof of COVID vaccination

Starting Tuesday, customers heading to Hamburger Mary’s and Woody’s, two LGBTQ bars along Broadway Boulevard in Kansas City’s Midtown area, will be required to show proof of their COVID-19 vaccination.

“This is not a political decision,” the bars wrote on Facebook, calling it a “moral requirement” to help keep their staff, guests and families safe from the virus. “We do not apologize for our stance in this matter.”

Customers wanting to enter the establishments must bring a photo ID and either their COVID-19 vaccination card, a photocopy of it or a high-resolution picture of it on their phones.

The bars urged other businesses and restaurants to take the same stance.

“If you want to come to our establishment — and more importantly, if you want to defeat this virus that has plagued us for the last 18 months — please get vaccinated,” the bars said.

The announcement came a day before Kansas City’s mask mandate begins again. It will require that masks be worn in public indoor spaces, such as retail stores, where social distancing can’t be maintained.

As of Sunday, the virus has killed 2,336 metro residents and infected 161,074 to date in the region, which encompasses Kansas City and Jackson, Clay and Platte counties in Missouri, and Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas.