LOS ANGELES (AP) – David Gross, owner of a yoga studio, was relieved after Los Angeles passed a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination rule that is among the strictest in the United States, set to take effect. on Monday and requires people to prove they are vaccinated in order to enter restaurants, shopping centers and a variety of other businesses.
For Gross, the relief came from knowing that he and his partner will not have to unilaterally decide whether or not to verify that their clients are vaccinated. In another part of town, a beauty salon manager struggling to avoid closing is scared and anticipates losing clients. “This is going to be tough for us,” Lucila Vazquez commented.
Los Angeles is among a growing number of cities across the United States, including San Francisco and New York, in requiring people to prove they are vaccinated in order to enter various types of businesses and meeting places. But the rules in the nation’s second-most populous city, called SafePassLA (Safe Pass LA), apply to more types of establishments and other indoor venues, including museums and convention centers.
They are being implemented at a time when new cases of coronavirus are beginning to rise after a sharp decline after a peak reached in August, which was driven by the delta variant.
Around this time a year ago was when California was experiencing its worst rebound in the pandemic, and by January it was registering an average of 500 deaths a day. Los Angeles became the epicenter of the state and its hospitals were so overloaded with patients that ambulances lined up outside with people with breathing problems, waiting for a bed to become available.
So many people died that the morgues were overcrowded and refrigerated trucks had to be brought in to handle the excess. That harsh scene unfolded as the COVID-19 vaccines began to arrive and both California and Los Angeles moved agilely to vaccinate people.
Among Los Angeles County’s roughly 10 million residents, 80% of eligible residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine so far, and 71% of those eligible individuals are fully vaccinated, according to health authorities. state public.
To prevent something similar to the January massacre from happening, the Los Angeles City Council approved by 11 votes in favor and 2 against implementing the order, which requires that people over 12 years of age be fully vaccinated in order to enter Enclosed public spaces, including stadiums, museums, spas, indoor municipal facilities, and other sites.
People not vaccinated for religious or medical reasons would be asked to present negative coronavirus tests performed within 72 hours in order to enter those facilities. Customers without proof will still be able to use the outdoor facilities and briefly enter a business to use the bathroom or pick up food.
Although the order goes into effect on Monday, city officials said they will not begin verifying its compliance until November 29 to give businesses time to adjust. A first offense carries only a warning, but subsequent offenses could lead to fines ranging from $ 1,000 to $ 5,000.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti – who tested positive for the coronavirus last week while in Scotland participating in the U.N. conference against climate change – said the order will encourage more people to get vaccinated and keep business going. safer for employees and customers.
“Vaccinating more Angelenos is our only way out of this pandemic, and we must do everything in our power to continue making those numbers rise,” he said.
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