By: Ilana Siyance
Mayor de Blasio’s vaccine mandate, known as the Key to NYC Pass, has unexpected side effects– underage partying has taken a hit.
Underage revelers are now having a hard time being allowed entry to indoor clubs and bars. Many of the Big Apple youth were regular party-goers had been successfully entering bars with fake IDs before the pandemic. Then the vaccine card requirement kicked in, opening up indoor dining and entertainment only for those who show proof of vaccination. As per the NY Post, scores of youth have been presenting their vaccine cards together with their fake IDs only to be refused entry—as the dates of birth on the two forms of ID often do not match.
College junior Sylvie, who is just 3 weeks shy of 21, told The Post that her social life has come to a halt. Before the Coronavirus pandemic, she would easily get in to local hot spots with a fake ID. But now, the vaccinated youth can’t get in to the indoor venues, because the dates don’t match up. “If you angled your thumb over the date on your vaccine card and the bouncer just glanced, sometimes you could get away with it,” said the Manhattan resident. But otherwise, when “you’re out with a group of friends and you’re the reason you can’t get in anywhere, it’s just embarrassing,” Sylvie said.
Some of the youth, who were used to partying and booze, complained to the Post reporter of being reduced to street corners of liquor stores to ask soft-looking passer-byers to help them buy some beer or a bottle of vodka. Others are getting more creative. Jordan, a recent high-school grad from Brooklyn, said a little Photoshop goes a long way being that most bars and clubs will accept snapshots of vaccine cards. “We got turned away a couple of times before we figured out all we had to do was edit the [photos] of our vaccine cards,” Jordan said. “One of my friends can use Photoshop, so he just changed my birth year on the screenshot [of the card] on my phone.”
An East Village bouncer also told the Post about other hacks being used to sneak in. “There’s some app that they use” to try to align the cards with their fake IDs, the bar worker said. He added that the State’s free voluntary digital platform can also be manipulated, especially as many venues don’t actually scan it. “You can add in an Excelsior Pass template and then just put in your name and date of birth. It’s that easy,” he said.
