The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to move forward with a motion that will require residents to prove their vaccinations status in order to enter indoor public spaces such as gyms, restaurants, movie theaters and even some retail stores. With this 13-0 vote, L.A. City Attorney Mike Feuer will draft an ordinance that will then return to council for a vote.
This vote comes a week after City Council President Nury Martinez and Councilman Mitch O’Farrell first announced the motion requiring residents to prove they’ve had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine before entering an indoor public space.
“Unvaccinated individuals are at greater risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19 making themselves and their communities vulnerable. In addition, they pose a threat to children under 12 years of age who are not qualified to receive a vaccine,” the motion states.
Following Wednesday’s vote, Martinez tweeted the news, saying, “Your decision to remain unvaccinated doesn’t just affect you–it affects us all.”
The ordinance draft will be similar to the mandate announced last week in New York, requiring residents to prove they’ve been vaccinated to enter public spaces for indoor dining, fitness and entertainment. However, while the New York mandate is more concerned with entertainment-orientated venues, the City Council’s ordinance will be more restrictive with retail establishments as well.
Gov. Gavin Newsom also announced Wednesday that all teachers and school staff in the state will have to either be vaccinated or regularly test for coronavirus, following a similar mandate concerting state workers.
These mandates come as L.A. County is experiencing a surge in the coronavirus with the highly contagious Delta variant.
According to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, as of this week, more than 5 million county residents (62% of the county) are fully vaccinated and more than 6.3 million residents (71.5% of the county) have received at least one dose of the vaccination, meaning a little more than 4 million residents are unvaccinated and vulnerable to infection.
On Tuesday, the county reported 2,622 new cases (with 1,331,859 to date), 22 new deaths (with 24,805 to date) and 1,503 current hospitalizations.
Everyone 12 years of age and older is eligible to get a COVID-19 vaccination. To find out where you can receive the vaccine, click here.