By LILY TINOCO | Reporter
Los Angeles City Council voted 11-2 on Wednesday, October 6, to approve a new ordinance requiring proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 to enter indoor facilities across the city.
The order requires patrons of indoor bars, restaurants, nail salons, gyms and other establishments to show proof of full vaccination by Thursday, November 4. Prior to entering an indoor establishment, customers and employees must show proof of vaccination along with a photo ID.
The motion was introduced by Council President Nury Martinez and Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell, and seconded by Councilmembers Marqueece Harris-Dawson and Nithya Raman. The ordinance was signed Wednesday afternoon, October 6, by Mayor Eric Garcetti.
“Vaccinating more Angelenos is our only way out of this pandemic, and we must do everything in our power to keep pushing those numbers up,” Garcetti said in a statement. “These new rules will encourage more people to get the shot, and make businesses safer for workers and customers—so that we can save more lives, better protect the vulnerable and make our communities even safer as we fight this pandemic.”
Patrons may be exempt from the LA rules but they must provide written exemptions on the basis of religious beliefs or medical reasons, as well as a negative COVID-19 test. Customers without proof of vaccination or exemption can still enter briefly to pick up a takeout order or use the restroom, or use outdoor facilities.
Businesses that do not cooperate or violate the rules can face penalties under the ordinance, starting with a warning, eventually reaching a $5,000 penalty for a fourth and each subsequent violation. The fines will be enforced beginning Monday, November 29.
The requirements are slated to expire when the city lifts its emergency declaration for the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the ordinance.
Across LA County, an updated public health order requires proof of COVID-19 vaccination for those who are eligible to enter indoor bars, wineries, breweries, distilleries, nightclubs and lounges. As of October 7, patrons and employees have needed to show they have had at least one vaccine dose, as well as be fully vaccinated by November 4.
As fall-time holidays approach, Los Angeles County Public Health urged Angelenos to celebrate safely and encouraged everyone unvaccinated for COVID-19 to get vaccinated ahead of time to be fully protected for festivities.
“The safest activities will be those that are outside, including outdoor costume parties, pumpkin patch visits, outdoor ghost tours, hayrides and trick-or-treating—when done safely,” Public Health said in a statement. “It is best to set up trick-or-treat events outdoors, limit treats to commercially packaged, non-perishable items, set up stations with individually packaged bags so trick-or-treaters can grab and go at each stop, and keep a distance from other trick-or-treaters.”
As of Wednesday, October 3, over 12.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines had been administered to people across LA County. To date, 84.7% of Pacific Palisades and 83.1% of Palisades Highlands residents have gotten at least one shot, according to data from Public Health.
As the Palisadian-Post went to print Tuesday, the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 had reached 1,472,419 across the county when factoring in Long Beach and Pasadena, with 26,336 deaths.
Pacific Palisades had reached 1,151 confirmed cases and 15 deaths Tuesday, with an additional 206 in Palisades Highlands and one death.
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