Hoboken Business Sets Hours For Vaccinated Customers Only

HOBOKEN, NJ — A business in Hoboken announced last week that it's setting aside certain hours in which only vaccinated customers can enter. During those hours, kids under 12 (who aren't eligible for the vaccine yet) can also enter but must wear masks.

The business owner said he heard back from a number of customers after he sent out an email about the new policy last week.

RELATED: Two More Hoboken Residents Have Died Of COVID, Mayor Says

Play! Hoboken, a relatively new business that occupies a floor in the northwest part of town, provides board games, table tennis, and other activities, and runs a summer camp.

The hours for vaccinated-only customers are Wednesdays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., except for Sept. 18 due to a prior commitment. The business is open seven days a week, and has no such policy the other five days.

"All staff and ownership are fully vaccinated," noted an email from Ian Rintel of Play! Hoboken.

He added, "This new policy is not to exclude anyone from playing, only to give everyone the option to play at a time when they can feel safe."

“Providing safe spaces for customers is critical as we adapt to the pandemic," said Mayor Ravi Bhalla, "and I thank Play! Hoboken and Hoboken Table Tennis for providing an extra option for vaccinated residents to enjoy. I encourage other Hoboken businesses to consider similar measures.”

As of Friday, 1,022 people in New Jersey were hospitalized with COVID, a number that rose back above 1,000 last week amid the highly transmissible Delta variant of the virus. Of those hospitalized, 98 are on ventilators to help them breathe. These numbers are up from 923 and 73 a week ago. READ MORE: NJ Cracks 1,000 COVID Cases For First Time Since May

The vaccine is 95 percent effective against the virus, medical professionals say, and for vaccinated people who get "breakthrough cases," the chances of hospitalization and death are lower than if unvaccinated. Still, more than 632,000 Americans have died from COVID as of Friday, up by 9,000 people since the previous Friday. (See which states have the highest recent death rates here.)

Play! Hoboken features five golf simulators, seventeen pool tables, a board game lounge with more than 300 board games, an esports arena, six pinball machines, darts and foosball.

In the same quarters, Hoboken Table Tennis (HiTT) features five premium ping pong tables and two ping pong robots.

Rintel noted, "While all customers will also be vaccinated during these times, current CDC social distancing and masking rules are to be followed. Proof of vaccination is to be presented upon arrival. Those without proof will be asked to return at another time."

Reactions From Customers

"There have been three total negative responses so far," Rintel said a day after the business sent out an email about the policy. "None that were overly harsh. There have been 11 total positive responses. Similarly, none of the positive responses were overly enthusiastic. It leads me to believe that most of my customers expected something like this."

He said, "If other businesses do similar things, maybe cumulatively it encourages vaccinations, reduces the spread of COVID-19, and speeds up the end of the hardest time I've ever witnessed as a business owner."

He noted, "The expectation is that those who do not like the change are much more vocal than those that do. So even in the case where the negative responses and positive responses are numerically the same, it usually means more people are in favor than disfavor."

The two businesses are open to the public seven days per week and located at 1012 Grand St. Specific rates, hours and other details may be found at www.playhoboken.com and www.hobokentabletennis.com.

"Those customers who are not vaccinated (as well as those who are) may still use the facility 5.5 days per week," Rintel noted.

More About COVID And NJ:

• Students In Hoboken Schools Must Get Vaccine Or Weekly Tests
• COVID Hospitalizations Spike In NJ As Delta Variant Spreads
• NJ Mom Urges: Please Listen to COVID 'Long-Haulers'
• 4 Things To Know About The Delta Variant Of Coronavirus In NJ
• Hoboken Says: Get Vaccinated Or No Spaghetti For You
• Rise In Child COVID Hospitalizations Prompts Vaccination Plea
• NJ Hospital Preps For COVID Surge As Kids Set To Return To School

More Information

• 98 percent to 99 percent of recent COVID deaths were unvaccinated people, according to one study earlier this summer.
• Here is information on vaccine side effects, including the most rare but severe effects.
• COVID survivors may suffer from long-term symptoms.

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