Los Angeles vaccine mandate now in force as businesses try to cope

Los Angeles vaccine mandate for people entering a wide variety of businesses in the city kicked off on Monday with the new rule covering businesses ranging from restaurants to shopping malls and theaters to nail and hair salons

Many businesses put up a sign on the front door to remind patrons to show proof of vaccination for permission to come in.

Los Angeles is among a growing number of cities across the US, including San Francisco and New York City, requiring people show proof of vaccination to enter businesses and venues.

What makes this mandate different from other such measures around the country is that the rules in the nation’s second-most-populous city, called SafePassLA, apply to more types of businesses and other indoor locations including museums and convention centers.

The vaccine mandate went into force as new infection cases have inched up in California, following a sharp decline from an August peak driven by the delta variant.

November was the time of year in 2020 when the worst spike of the pandemic was just beginning in California. By January of this year, 500 people were dying every day in the state.

Los Angeles became the state’s infection epicenter and its hospitals were so overloaded with patients that ambulances idled outside with people struggling to breathe, waiting for beds to open up.

80% of eligible residents in Los Angeles County have now received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose and 71% of those eligible are fully vaccinated, according to public health officials.

To guard against anything resembling the January carnage, the Los Angeles City Council voted 11-2 last month to approve the ordinance requiring people 12 and older to be fully vaccinated to enter indoor public spaces including sports arenas, museums, spas, indoor city facilities and other locations.

Negative coronavirus tests within 72 hours of entry to those establishments are required for people with religious or medical exemptions for vaccinations. Customers without proof can still use outdoor facilities and can briefly enter a business to use restrooms or pick up food orders.

While the order took effect Monday, city officials say they won’t start enforcing it until November 29 to give businesses time to adjust. A first offense will bring a warning but subsequent ones could produce fines running from $1,000 to $5,000 for businesses.

Harassment of workers who must verify vaccinations is the top concern of the Los Angeles Couty Business Federation.

“This puts employees in a potential position of conflict when they’re not necessarily trained to handle situations like that,” Sarah Wiltfong, senior policy manager at the LACBF, said.

(With AP inputs)