Letters to the Editor Sept 29

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It looks like vaccination passports are going to be needed for entry into venues, sports and even countries â€" but why? Can’t we just trust people to tell the truth as most people are honest? Well, in this case, it appears no. There are already ads online for “fake” certificates or electronic passports, some even before the systems to use them have been developed. Most of these will be scams, but we do need a real system to determine independently whether someone is vaccinated and thus reasonably safe. I am not sure how the small number of people who can’t get vaccinations due to legitimate medical reasons will be handled â€" maybe a few people will miss out on events until the pandemic passes. The COVID deniers, sceptics, and needle-phobic will just have to miss out. This is a worldwide problem, and it has shown a usually hidden split in society, the rule followers and the rule breakers. The consequences of those who will not get vaccinated is that we will spend longer in lockdown, have more cases and sadly more deaths. Get vaccinated â€" that’s the complete message for all.

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Dennis Fitzgerald
Melbourne, Australia

(And it is a good message to send. Getting vaccinated helps all of us)

SYSTEMS CHECK

Re “Do the right thing when making restaurant reservations” (Rita DeMontis, Sept. 22): It is exciting to be able to dine at restaurants again, having a change of scenery, not being stuck at home helping to prepare food all the time. I love going to restaurants and trying different foods. When the pandemic hit, and everything had shut down, it was heartbreaking being unable to dine at my favourite spots. Stage three of opening indoor dining was exciting, but it was hard to find restaurants that were not reserved. When people make reservations and don’t show up, it’s frustrating to know that customers couldn’t dine in at their favourite spots because some couldn’t be bothered to sympathize and cancel in advance. Recently, I was trying to make reservations at a restaurant for my family of seven, and I was unable to find any available spots. I called three different restaurants and there was still no luck. I agree with raising awareness for this issue and having customizable cancellation policies and credit-card-required reservations. It would create a more organized environment for the people working, decrease the impact on the restaurant’s revenue, and increase their profit margins. There would be no waiting to get into the restaurants and their schedule would run smoothly with all available tables being filled and the satisfaction of customers. The four strikes and you’re out policy is a good way to make sure which of your customers are worthy of showing up.

Hajera Maftuh
Ajax

(Our restaurant industry is trying to cope with the demand â€" a good problem to have â€" and many are implementing the very type of system you have talked about)

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