Yelp Taking Steps To Address Negative Reviews Over New COVID-19 Attributions

Yelp Inc YELP is receiving both positive and negative feedback to a new COVID-19 related feature available on its website. More than 30,500 establishments have added the new attribution to their Yelp page, although some local restaurants are receiving negative comments from customers or critics because of their COVID-19 vaccine policies.

What Happened: As the pandemic has evolved, Yelp has allowed for two “searchable attributes” — whether proof of vaccination is required and if all the staff are fully vaccinated — to give customers a better window into the operations of businesses. The attributes are free and can only be activated by the business itself, according to Yelp.

One restaurant owner told the Wall Street Journal that Yelp is a  “train wreck” because the louder, “more obnoxious people” are able to get more attention for their boorish comments on the website, as opposed to quieter, less controversial opinions, which don’t gain the same traction.

A Yelp spokesperson tells Benzinga that after seeing a rise in “review bombing” behavior related to a business’s vaccination policy prior to the vaccine attributes launch, the company implemented protective measures for businesses that add “Proof of vaccination required” and/or “All staff fully vaccinated” to their Yelp page. 

The spokesperson said Yelp is proactively monitoring pages of businesses that activate these attributes. Any review that primarily criticizes the business's vaccination policies is held for one of Yelp's moderators to investigate and deem if it warrants removal for violating content policies.

What Else: Encouraging COVID-19 safety precautions in general has been controversial in the U.S. as many people don’t want to get vaccinated or wear a mask. As of the latest update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about half of those eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine are fully vaccinated.

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