NYC Restaurant Requires Guests Take $50 Rapid Coronavirus Test Before Entering

A New York City restaurant is launching a “pilot testing program,” which will require guests to undergo a health screening and $50 rapid coronavirus test before entering and dining.

City Winery recently announced the pilot program, which will take place on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. According to an announcement of the program, each diner will undergo a “wellness check” and pay $50 for “a shallow nasal swab by a certified practitioner.” The guests will then be required to wait for the results of their rapid test and will be permitted to enter upon receiving a negative test result.

The establishment announced:

For the remainder of 2020, we will REQUIRE that a rapid Covid-19 test be taken by all patrons before entering our restaurant on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. The cost of the test is $50 per person – 100% of that fee goes directly to the testing company – and will be administered by a certified health professional upon arrival at City Winery. All City Winery employees will also take this test before entering, ensuring that 100% of individuals on the premises have tested negative that day. We will also continue to strictly enforce all of our rigorous health and safety protocols.

“Kindly note we are still open Thursday through Monday when we will continue to uphold our rigorous health and safety standards, but we will not be requiring a rapid Covid-19 test,” the restaurant noted.

Michael Dorf, founder and CEO of the establishment, said they are attempting to find “the next level of safety and comfort level for people to dine indoors,” calling it a “critical” mission.

“A COVID-19 test is one of the only solutions to get patrons inside restaurants for the next five months until the springtime,” he explained.

The program is expected to begin next week, although Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) recently suggested dine-in services are, once again, in jeopardy.

“So for everyone who honestly might feel, somehow, a little better if they knew that indoor dining was going to be closed or gyms were going to be closed, I’m sorry to tell you — for the sake of those business owners and everyone who loves those gyms and loves indoor dining — it’s just a matter of time,” de Blasio said on Wednesday, warning that indoor restaurant closures will “very likely to be in the next week or two”: