Yelp Adds COVID Protocol Ratings To User Reviews

From Yelp’s corporate blog:

As consumers look for ways to continue supporting their favorite local businesses, their personal health and safety remains a critical part of the decision making process.

And for businesses, we know it’s especially important to efficiently communicate their current service offerings and health and safety practices to customers — in fact, we saw consumer interest increase 41% for businesses that added COVID-19 business updates to their Yelp pages between September 1 and December 31, 2020.

Starting today, Yelp will display if users observed, or did not observe, the enforcement of social distancing and staff wearing masks. We know many businesses are prioritizing the health and safety of their customers.

This new update further highlights how businesses have adapted to keep their customers safe, and aims to instill confidence in consumers to continue supporting local businesses.

We’ve also added new service offerings and health and safety practices, including “heated outdoor seating,” “1:1 sessions available,” and “disposable or contactless menu” to help businesses communicate how they’re continuing to adapt amidst changing health orders and consumer expectations.

Yelp will tell you which restaurants aren’t following COVID-19 guidelines https://t.co/al5pvFPSbx pic.twitter.com/DYhEKHPcO1

— Engadget (@engadget) January 12, 2021