The owner of a waterfront restaurant and tiki bar in Cape Canaveral says that since God told him not to get the COVID-19 vaccine, he will not require it for any of his employees despite a federal mandate.
“I believe God told me not to take this vaccine,” Joe Penovich wrote in a letter to employees that was posted Friday on the Facebook page of Grills Seafood Deck and Tiki Bar?.
At least 51,884 Floridians have died of COVID-related complications.
As delta surged in early summer, those who were unvaccinated were 4.5 times more likely than the fully vaccinated to get infected, over 10 times more likely to be hospitalized and 11 times more likely to die, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Penovich says that he, too, has lost loved ones to COVID-19.
But he says Christians should listen to God, not the news, when making decisions about how to protect themselves during the pandemic.
“The letter speaks for itself as to how real and important my faith is, and why I have taken this position,” Penovich wrote. “I don’t expect everyone one to agree. But I humbly ask everyone to pause from the media driven fear and anger and ask God yourself about this and many other things.
“Many view this vaccine as the answer, many believe it has created a greater problem,” Penovich wrote. “I do not know. But I do know God is real.”
On September 9, President Joe Biden announced sweeping new orders that will require employers with over 100 workers to mandate vaccinations against COVID-19 or offer weekly testing.
Penovich said he’ll comply with testing requirements “as is financially and logistically feasible.”
He said this also applies to Sunrise Marina and Obsession Fishing Charters.
Biden’s new rules could affect as many as 100 million Americans, although it’s not clear how many of those people are currently unvaccinated.
The new requirement has created another worry for large businesses: With help wanted signs up almost everywhere, some could lose valuable employees or won’t be able to find new ones.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
