Health
Los Angeles considers wide-ranging vaccination requirement
The Los Angeles City Council will vote Wednesday on a proposed ordinance to require people to have proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 to enter a wide range of businesses and venues.
The ordinance would greatly expand restrictions ordered by Los Angeles County public health officials that are set to take effect next month.
Under the city ordinance, people eligible for inoculation would be required to be vaccinated to enter indoor public spaces including restaurants, bars, nightclubs, gyms, sports arenas, museums, spas, nail salons, indoor city facilities and other locations. Current eligibility includes people age 12 and up. Negative coronavirus tests within 72 hours of entry to those places will be required for people with religious or medical exemptions.
“This is no longer negotiable, the risks are way too high, council President Nury Martinez told reporters before the council’s meeting to take up the issue.
Martinez said it is clear that the vaccines work but too many people remain unvaccinated despite widespread vaccine availability and door-to-door campaigns to vaccinate more people. She accused people who refuse to be vaccinated of endangering others, especially the city’s large population of young children who are still ineligible for doses.
“The people who are playing by the rules, the people who have been vaccinated, deserve to go back to normal,” Martinez said. “It is unfair to continue to put everyone else’s lives on pause because some won’t listen to science, data and the facts.”
She added: “We’re getting tired of protecting people who do not want to protect themselves and get vaccinated.”
A growing number of places across the United States, including San Francisco and New York City, are requiring people to show proof of vaccination to enter various types of businesses and venues.
In late summer, New York City began requiring proof of vaccination to dine inside restaurants and bars, or to enter certain types of public places, including museums, theaters, gyms, indoor sports arenas and concert halls.
New York City’s rules do not include malls and other retail businesses. Compliance has been mixed and enforcement purposefully light, with the city favoring an initial warnings for violators and fines for repeat offenders.
The previously announced Los Angeles County public health order that covers the city and most suburbs in the metropolitan area will require proof of COVID-19 vaccination for patrons and workers at indoor bars, wineries, breweries, lounges and nightclubs next month. Two Los Angeles County cities have their own health departments.
The county order begins Oct. 7, with proof of at least one vaccine dose required. By Nov. 4, proof of full vaccination will be mandatory.
The county order 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 at theme parks. The same requirement is already in place for indoor events of 1,000 people or more.
Of the county’s nearly 10.3 million residents, 66% have received at least one dose of vaccine and 59% are fully vaccinated, according to public health officials.
Los Angeles County’s daily test positivity rate and numbers of hospitalizations and deaths have been declining after a summer rise fueled by the delta variant of the virus. Officials are pressing to increase vaccinations to prevent future surges.