With COVID-19 vaccines waning in efficacy over time and the surge in new cases fueled by the omicron variant, Maui County will soon become the first in Hawaii — and maybe not the last — to change the definition of “fully vaccinated” to include a booster shot.

Starting Monday, patrons of Maui restaurants, bars and gyms will have to show proof of receiving a booster shot against COVID-19 to gain entry into those establishments. During a media briefing Friday, Mayor Michael Victorino said he was implementing the booster mandate for “high-risk” places such as restaurants and gyms but not at supermarkets or similar indoor locations where a mask is required.

Patrons may still dine outdoors without a vaccination card or get takeout orders.

The rule revisions “reflect rapidly changing conditions in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the need to protect the health and well-being of residents,” according to a county news release. Victorino originally planned to implement the new rule Jan. 8, but postponed the start “to ensure eligible adolescents and others have sufficient time to get their booster shots.”

At a news conference Wednesday, Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi stopped short of announcing any policy changes but said he was considering a similar change for the Safe Access O‘ahu program that requires proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test to get into restaurants and bars.

Blangiardi said he told Gov. David Ige that if the state’s Safe Travels program is updated to require a booster shot, the city would consider following suit. He said Feb. 18 was being considered as a start date for adding the booster requirement to the Safe Travels program.

The governor’s office said Ige was unable to comment at this time or confirm a date.

Many restaurant owners feel they’re being singled out whenever COVID-19 numbers go up and policymakers add yet another requirement to their long list of restrictions to protect against the virus. They warn it could cause more eateries to go belly up.

“Any time there’s a new restriction during the last two years of the pandemic, it’s typically included restaurants,” said Ryan Tanaka, board chairman of the Hawaii Restaurant Association and co-owner of Giovanni Pastrami, a Waikiki sports bar. “We’ve constantly had to adapt and train staff with ongoing restrictions.”

Victor Lim, a legislative liaison for the Hawaii Restaurant Association and owner of five McDonald’s restaurants, applauds the intent of new rules aimed at getting more people boosted, “but to single out restaurants is very unfortunate.”

“We are already checking people’s vaccination cards. We are doing temperature checks. We are already doing so many things. We’ve been devastated by COVID,” he said. “Many businesses are just struggling to get people to show up to work. The last thing we need is more restrictions on employees and customers of restaurants. … To put another stress on the restaurant industry is unfair.”

Aaron Placourakis, who owns five Maui restaurants including Nick’s Fishmarket in Wailea, said the new booster requirement will “make it extremely difficult for restaurants and other operations to add that layer of checking.”

“We’ve been challenged like many other industries, and we’re all doing the best we can, and because the rules are changing on the fly on a weekly basis, that adds to the level of challenge that we all have,” he said.

Placourakis said he believes political leaders “have empathy for us, but our industry seems to be the whipping boys. We’re among the first to experience this in the country, not just the state. We’re the pioneers over here.”

Victorino said he met Friday morning with members of the restaurant sector, as well as those in the lodging and medical fields.

“It was clear that many wanted to abide by it because all they need is for an outbreak to occur at their facility or someone gets sick, especially their staff,” Victorino said. “They’re very short-handed. They’ve lost employee-hours.”

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends everyone 12 and older gets a COVID-19 vaccine booster. Those who have taken Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines should wait five months after completing the first series to get a booster shot, while those who received the Johnson &Johnson, just two months.

Victorino said Maui’s hospital beds were nearly filled; 42 were hospitalized Friday with COVID-19.

Maui County had 1,067 new cases of COVID-19 Thursday, but that number dropped to 511 Friday, according to state Department of Health data.

As of Monday the county’s seven-day positivity rate of 89% was the highest in Hawaii, and at 68%, Maui has the second-lowest vaccination rate, with only Hawaii island lower at 67%.

Maui Councilwoman Tamara Paltin, vice chairwoman of the Budget, Finance and Economic Development Committee, said getting booster shots can be a way to keep businesses in business.

“Nobody wants to have that negative publicity that their restaurant is a hot spot,” she said. “You don’t want it to be spreading amongst your workers, but at the same time I totally agree restaurants shouldn’t be singled out. It should be across the board.”

She wants to see a similar requirement for air travel and cruise ships.

“People should be keeping their masks on the entire time in supermarkets, but in restaurants people are taking their masks off. It’s similar on longer flights and taking off masks to eat a meal.”

Sherry Menor-McNamara, who heads the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii, said her organization is not taking a position on mandates, but is encouraging workers to get vaccinated and boosted.

“Ultimately we want to keep our economy open and workforce healthy and minimize the risk of illness in employees,” she said. “It will ameliorate the situation. Right now businesses are being impacted by the rapid spread of omicron. We’re hearing of many restaurants closing temporarily because staff got sick.”

Although not mandated by the city or state, University of Hawaii President David Lassner told the UH Board of Regents on Thursday the university plans to require boosters for students and employees on campus in the summer or fall, and said it is “consistent with what we hear is brewing at both the state and the counties.”