Yelp is rolling out a new set of labels that allow businesses on the platform to specify if they require proof from customers that they are vaccinated and whether their own staff is fully vaccinated. These optional “Proof of vaccination required” and “All staff fully vaccinated” attributes are available to all businesses, according to Yelp, including those operating in the nightlife, restaurant, and food industries.
Yelp says it’s rolling out the new optional attributes due to the increasing spread of the delta variant of COVID-19. Of course, since Yelp exists on the internet, businesses need to protect more than their staff and customers from the virus. They also need to protect themselves from angry anti-vaxxers and the vaccine hesitant who may be upset they are posting vaccination policies at all.
In other words, if your negative Yelp review is about the business’s efforts to help stop the spread of the pandemic and keep everyone safe, expect it to be removed from the business’s listing. Keep doing it, and you can expect to be removed from Yelp, too.
Businesses can add the “Proof of vaccination required” and “All staff fully vaccinated” attributes to their Yelp page beginning today.
This story has been updated to clarify that the vaccination attributes are available to all businesses on Yelp.