Los Angeles is now among a growing number of cities across the U.S., including New York City and San Francisco, requiring people to show proof of vaccination to enter various types of venues and businesses, according to ABC News.
The rules, which start from today, will be applied to more types of businesses and other indoor locations, such as museums and convention centers. They have been implemented because new cases have started inching up after a sharp decline.
Public health officials said that among LA county’s roughly 10 million people, 80% of eligible residents now have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, and 71% of those eligible are fully vaccinated.
In October, the LA City Council voted 11-2 for the ordinance that requires people aged 12 and above to be fully vaccinated to enter indoor public spaces.
While the order took effect today, city health officials say they will not start enforcing it until November 29 to give businesses time to adjust.
For a first offense, there will be a warning, for but subsequent ones, there could be fines running between $1,000 and $5,000.
LA Mayor Eric Garcetti said the mandate would encourage more people to get vaccines and make businesses safer for employees and customers.
He said, “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.”
However, business trade groups said the new mandate would cause confusion because the count’s own vaccine rules are less sweeping.
Sarah Wiltfong, Senior Policy Manager at the Los Angeles County Business Federation, said, “There’s a tremendous lack of clarity. But shopping malls and shopping centers are included, which of course includes retail shops.”
She expressed concerns over the harassment of workers who are tasked with verifying vaccination.
Wiltfong said, “This puts employees in a potential position of conflict when they’re not necessarily trained to handle situations like that.”
