Los Angeles firefighters temporarily closed the entrance to the Dodger Stadium vaccination site Saturday for 55 minutes, Andrea Garcia spokesman for mayor Eric Garcetti told CNN on Monday.
The affiliate video showed a sign that said “LA Better Dodge The Vaxxx”; another said “Covid = Scam”.
Los Angeles Police Department spokesman Drake Madison told CNN that the protesters were “anti-vaxxers.” The rally was peaceful and no arrests were made, he said.
Protesters may have caused authorities to close their doors as a precaution, but they did not stop people from getting vaccinated during that time, Garcia told CNN. No appointments canceled.
“The city is reviewing the vaccine site safety protocol and will establish a protest zone in case of future protests,” Garcia said in an email.
Dodger Stadium is one of the largest vaccination sites in the country. Garcetti announced that the site has the capacity to vaccinate 12,000 people every day, he said the night before the site opened.
“Everyone we found there who had an appointment was accommodated,” Los Angeles firefighter spokesman Brian Humphrey told CNN on Monday.
The vaccination process has been emotional, he said.
“It’s not only a physical toll, but also an emotional one,” Humphrey said. “It’s a very moving time for many of these people who get vaccinated. Maybe they’ve lost their parents or something like that you already know, and they’re crying and we give them an injection. We do it thousands of times every day.”
The vaccination program is a joint effort between the mayor and firefighters, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman David Ortiz said Saturday. Vaccine appointments run from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and more appointments will be offered “as soon as we receive another vaccine assignment,” he said.
CNN’s Claudia Domínguez and Braden Walker contributed to this report.