Los Angeles County to Require Vaccines in Indoor Bars



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Guests enjoy cocktails inside the Tiki-Ti Bar in Los Angeles, California, July 7, 2021.

Damien Dovarganes | PA

Los Angeles County public health officials 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 country’s most populous county begins on October 7, with proof of at least one dose of vaccine required. By Nov. 4, proof of full vaccination will be required, according to the county public health department. Health officials strongly recommend the same precautions for indoor restaurants, but have not chosen to require proof of vaccination for them.

The new restrictions precede the holiday season, which caused a surge in Los Angeles last year. More than 25,000 people have died from the virus across the county and the toll continues to climb amid the more contagious delta variant.

“This is a reasonable path forward that will allow us to better break the cycle of flare-ups,” Barbara Ferrer, county public health director, told the watchdog in a meeting Wednesday.

The county will also require proof of full vaccination or a negative COVID test within 72 hours for participants and workers at outdoor events with at least 10,000 people, including at theme parks. This condition begins on October 7 – about a month after the start of the football season.

The same requirement is already in place for indoor events of 1,000 people or more.

LA County reinstated its indoor mask mandate, regardless of vaccination status, on July 17 – just a month after Gov. Gavin Newsom declared California “reopened.”

Newsom, who survived a recall election this week, said on Wednesday that while 82% of people aged 12 and older in California have received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine, more residents of the state need to get it. vaccinate.

“You want our economy to be buzzing again in this country and this state, you want us to continue to operate sustainably at full capacity in all its forms, you need to get more people vaccinated,” he said.

Newsom said that while he supports the LA County decision, he has no plans to do the same for the state as a whole.

“We are satisfied with the current situation of the state,” he added.

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