The city of Los Angeles has enacted some of the strictest vaccination verification rules for patrons in the U.S, covering a wide range of indoor establishments.
The newly instated rules are referred to as SafePassLA, and took effect Monday and are expected to be enforced with fines later in November. The city previously imposed vaccine requirements on municipal employees. (RELATED: LA County Sheriff Reaffirms He Won’t Enforce Vaccine Mandate)
The new rules require all patrons eligible for vaccination to verify with establishments that they have been fully inoculated against COVID-19. The requirement to show proof of full vaccination covers, but is not limited to, the categories of food and beverage establishments, gyms and fitness venues, entertainment and recreation venues, personal care establishments, indoor city facilities, and outdoor event venues containing between 5,000 to 9,999 attendees.
Here are the vaccine requirements that are now effective in LA County. Effective today, LA City’s SafePassLA requires proof of vaccination for indoor entry into establishments such as restaurants, bars, gyms, nail salons, movie theaters, & more. pic.twitter.com/h1z6oPhQMc
— LA Public Health (@lapublichealth) November 9, 2021
The requirements are significantly broader than the previous rules in place for patrons in L.A. county, but officials express that enforcing documentation of vaccination status will help mitigate the spread of the virus in riskier contexts, the Los Angeles Times reported (LAT).
Dan Holden, a spokesperson for City Councilman Mitch O’Farrell, who was one of the first to propose the indoor requirements, said, “There is broad support for this measure, and we are optimistic there will be compliance as the requirements take effect,” according to the LAT.
To be eligible for either medical or religious exemptions, the patron must provide a verbal self-attestation to the covered business, and then the location will decide if the patron’s exemption requirements have been met. If granted, the customer would be directed to use an outdoor area of the establishment.
However, if there is a failure to comply after an initial warning, businesses will be fined $1,000 for their second infraction, $2,000 for their third, and $5,000 for any thereafter. Enforcement of these fines is expected to start on Nov. 29.
“The intention of this isn’t to penalize businesses. Our businesses can’t afford another shutdown,” L.A. City Council President Nury Martinez said, according to the outlet. “It’s to limit the transmission of the virus and save lives.”
The Department of Public Health in L.A. did not respond to the Daily Caller’s request for comment.