Los Angeles County will extend its Covid-19 vaccination requirements test to indoor venues such as bars and nightclubs and outdoor “mega events,” such as concerts and sports games.
The most populous county in the United States will issue a revised health order later this week that will set out the requirements, Barbara Ferrer, the county’s public health official, said Wednesday.
The order will require that all customers and employees of indoor areas of bars, breweries, nightclubs and wineries have had at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine before October 7 and have received the second on November 4.
Restaurants, but not mandatory, are strongly recommended to verify the vaccination of people who sponsor or work in indoor areas of their premises. Ferrer said the order was aimed more at “drinking establishments” without restaurant permits, because activities, such as singing and dancing, that occur in bars tend to pose a higher risk of virus transmission than a sit-down meal. .
“This is a reasonable way forward that will position us to be able to better break the cycle of overvoltages,” Ferrer said during a meeting of the county supervisory board.
The updated health order will also tighten restrictions on outdoor megaconventions, defined as those with more than 10,000 people in attendance. From October 7, all attendees, employees and participants in these events will be required to show evidence of vaccination against Covid-19 or a negative test performed within 72 hours prior to the event.
The requirements will apply to sports accessories, including the city’s top teams, such as the Los Angeles Dodgers of baseball and the Rams and Chargers of American football and theme parks such as Universal Studios Hollywood.
Los Angeles County in April issued a mask warrant for mega events. Attendees at mega-covered events, with more than 5,000 people, are already required to prove vaccination or a negative Covid-19 test.
New Orleans, New York, and San Francisco are, among other U.S. cities, having similar requirements for employers and employees of bars, nightclubs, and other covered venues such as gyms and restaurants to show vaccination tests to access them.