Los Angeles in California is launching SafePassLA from Monday, November 8. It is expanding its vaccination mandate as cases have started rising in October, after there was a fall in August. People have to show proof of vaccination at a larger number of businesses and venues.
The vaccine mandate has been expanded and will include indoor and outdoor venues that can host between 5,000 and 9,999 attendees. Some of these venues include
museums
concert halls
convention centers.
Other indoor areas that require vaccine proof include
gyms
restaurants
bars
card rooms
play areas
spas
salons
other facilities.
The LA City Council voted 11-2 in favor of the ordinance in October that required children aged 12 and above to be fully vaccinated to enter certain venues. Enforcement will begin on November 29 so that these venues can be prepared. A first offense will get a warning but repeated offenses could result in fines that would be between $1000 to $5000.
Those who remain unvaccinated for medical or religious reasons need to provide a negative COVID-19 test that has been taken within 72 hours, prior to their entry to those venues. Unvaccinated people will be allowed to use outdoor facilities. They will also be allowed to enter a business to use a restroom or for picking up an order.
Performing artists, professional athletes, sports teams and the people accompanying them might get exemption from the mandate.
Although approximately 72 percent of the roughly 10 million people who live in LA County in the age group 12 and above have been vaccinated, the county is seeing high daily counts since early September. This past week saw a 20 to 40 percent spike in new infections.
LA City Council President Nury Martinez said that those who had been vaccinated “deserve to go back to normal” and that they were getting tired of protecting people who did not want to protect themselves by getting vaccinated.
Some businesses have welcomed the strict mandate as it would make it easier for them to enforce the vaccination proof requirements while others say that they don’t want to turn away any customer.
