Fredericton — As of Monday, establishments such as restaurants, theatres and gyms are no longer required to ask for vaccine passports at the door. The popularity of this repeal led to a second announcement on Sunday that local bars will not need to ask for proof of a patron’s age, either.
“I think everybody has just gotten sick of regulations in general,” said Public Safety Minister Ted Flemming. “We figured that if a kid really wants in, they’re just going to get a fake I.D. anyway. So, why not let them in for a while, see how it goes?”
Bar owners are divided on the new ruling. Some are opting to still require identification, since they don’t want to be responsible for the safety of underage drinkers. Other bars have been more amenable to the idea.
“We think it’s great,” said Angie Barker, a server at The Twenty bar on Regent street. “We figure that if we bring enough kids into the joint, it might bring the median age here down to the double digits.”
How do the kids themselves feel about their new freedom?
“I think it’s, like…um, a really good idea, because, like, why do adults get to do whatever they want, and we kids don’t get to? That’s, like, really stupid and dumb, I think,” said five-year-old Caleb Palmer, picking up a beer glass with two hands, and tipping it into his mouth. His face scrunched into a grimace.
“Yuck,” he said, after a time.