Public health officials in Los Angeles County will begin requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination for patrons and workers at indoor...
Public health officials in Los Angeles County will begin requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination for patrons and workers at indoor bars, wineries, breweries and nightclubs next month.
The new initiative in the nation's most populous county begins October 7, with proof of at least one vaccine dose required. By November 4, proof of full vaccination will be mandatory, according to the county's Department of Public Health.
Health officials strongly recommend the same precautions for indoor restaurants, but so far are not mandating proof of vaccination for them.
The county also will require proof of full vaccination or a negative COVID test within 72 hours for attendees and workers at outdoor events with at least 10,000 people, including Dodgers, Chargers and Rams games.
Los Angeles County will begin requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination for patrons and workers at indoor bars next month. Above, the Tiki-Ti bar on Sunset Boulevard is seen in June
Mookie Betts of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates his home run at Dodger Stadium on Sunday. Dodgers fans will now have to show proof of vaccination or a negative test
The requirements for so-called 'mega-events' also include theme parks such as Universal Studios Hollywood. That condition also begins October 7 - about a month after football season started.
The same requirement is already in place for indoor events of 1,000 people or more.
The new restrictions come ahead of the holiday season, which brought a massive surge to Los Angeles last year.
More than 25,000 people have died of the virus in Los Angeles County so far, and the toll continues to climb amid the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant.
'This is a reasonable path forward that will position us to be better able to break the cycle of surges,' Dr. Barbara Ferrer, the county's public health director, told the Board of Supervisors during a Wednesday meeting.
Fans cheer the Los Angeles Rams' first touchdown during against the Los Angeles Chargers in a preseason game last month
She said county health officials 'believe that targeted vaccine mandates are now a very important strategy for quickly raising vaccination coverage across our county and ending the pandemic.'
'This modified health officer order aligns with the continued need to reduce risk of transmission and increase vaccination coverage,' said Ferrer.
LA County reinstated its indoor mask mandate, regardless of vaccination status, on July 17 - just a month after Gov. Gavin Newsom declared California 'reopened.'
In implementing vaccine passports, Los Angeles joins other cities including New York, New Orleans, and San Francisco in requiring proof of vaccination.
New York's requirements for bars, restaurants and gyms went into effect on Monday, with business owners faces fines of thousands of dollars if they fail to enforce the strict requirements for patrons and staff.
Los Angeles has taken other strong measures requiring vaccination, including a vaccine requirement for all public school students older than 11.
No comments