Los Angeles City Council passed a sweeping vaccine mandate Wednesday for residents within the city limits that prohibits people from going to places such as bars, nail salons, gyms, and restaurants, among others, without proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test.
The council passed the measure 11-2 and the order will go into effect Nov. 4. The mandate only affects the city of LA, not the county which has less restrictive mandates. The mandate affects those eligible, which is currently those 12 and older. Those with medical or religious exemptions must show a negative COVID-19 test taken within the past 72 hours or use an outdoor area if the business has one.
The mandate requires indoor shopping areas like malls to require proof of vaccination or a negative test. Sports arenas, museums, spas, and indoor city facilities are also required to do the same. Grocery stores and pharmacies are exempt. New York City and San Francisco enforce similar mandates.
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Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti is expected to sign the new order into law. Garcetti has previously shown support for the order, claiming he does not want to bury more “city employees, police officers or firefighters.”
Enforcement of the new mandate will not go into effect until Nov. 29. Businesses that refuse to comply with the new order will be faced with a warning for the first offense, a $1,000 fine for the second offense, $2,000 for a third and $5,000 for a fourth.
The new mandate comes after the city saw an increase in COVID-19 cases last winter, and a smaller increase this past summer, though case numbers have declined in the past month. The county reported 964 new cases and 35 deaths on Tuesday. According to the LA County Department of Public Health, 78% of eligible residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine and 69% are fully vaccinated.
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Previous mandates included proof of vaccination at outdoor “mega events,” meaning any outdoor event with a gathering of over 10,000 people such as sporting events and concerts. The LA Unified School District voted last month to require all students attending public schools be vaccinated if over the age of 12. They are required to be vaccinated by early next year.
