LA City Council Votes To Require Vaccines In Many Places
(Los Angeles, CA) — The Los Angeles City Council just voted to require COVID-19 vaccinations to enter many public businesses. It’s similar to strict ordinances in San Francisco and New York City. The 11 to 2 vote means the rule will go into effect without an urgency clause, so it will start next month. It will apply to facilities that serve food or beverages. That includes bars, gyms, entertainment venues, shopping centers and personal care facilities. People with medical exemptions or religious objections will be evaluated by a facility before being allowed to enter. A negative COVID test will still be accepted for outdoor events with more than 5-thousand people.
The vote came a week after the L-A City Council held off on final approval because of concerns about possible confusion. Los Angeles County has different rules than the City of L-A. Ultimately, most council members decided it was still worth passing a stricter ordinance. There’s also concern about how businesses will enforce the rules and how much time and money they will be forced to spend. It’s expected to go into effect around November sixth. Businesses who violate the vaccine requirement will be fined 1-thousand dollars for a second violation and two-thousand for the third. Fourth violations will earn a five-thousand dollar fine. This comes 18-months into the pandemic-with rates going down and vaccines going up– and there is no specific stated goal of these dictates, and no stated end date.