Los Angeles County to demand proof of vaccination at indoor bars, jab certificate or negative Covid test at large outdoor events

The new vaccine order will be issued later this week, the county’s public health officer said on Wednesday. Customers and workers at indoor bars, nightclubs, wineries, breweries and lounges will have to show proof of at least one jab by October 7 and full vaccination by November 4, the health officer, Dr. Barbara Ferrer, announced.

The most populous US county stopped short of mandating proof of vaccination for restaurants, but it will strongly recommend jab verifications for indoor dining. All fans, workers and participants at outdoor events attended by 10,000 or more people – such as Los Angeles Dodgers baseball games and Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers football games – will be forced to show proof of vaccination or a negative Covid-19 test within the past 72 hours.

The requirement for outdoor events will go into effect on October 7. Los Angeles already requires proof of vaccination or a negative virus test for indoor events attended by 5,000 or more people.

“This modified health officer order aligns with the continued need to reduce risk of transmission and increase vaccination coverage,” Ferrer said. “This is a reasonable path forward that will position us to be better able to break the cycle of surges.”

However, compulsory vaccine passports have apparently failed to “break the cycle of surges” in places such as Israel, which has seen record Covid-19 infections in recent weeks despite an onerous “Green Pass” system and the world’s most aggressive booster-shot program. Israeli Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz was caught on Sunday on a hot mic, saying in some cases there’s no medical justification for vaccine passports, but they are intended to pressure unvaccinated people to get the shots.

Ferrer said targeted vaccine mandates are an important strategy for “quickly raising vaccination coverage” in Los Angeles County and “ending the pandemic.”

About 68% of Los Angeles County residents 12 and older have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19, exceeding the nationwide average of 63%. The county brought back its mask mandate in July, requiring them to be worn indoors regardless of vaccination status.

The latest vaccine requirement came to light one day after California Governor Gavin Newsom, who has championed some of the nation’s most stringent Covid-19 restrictions, defeated a recall effort.

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