The Los Angeles City Council has tentatively passed an ordinance to lift its mandate requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination to enter many closed establishments and large outdoor events, with only a dissenting vote from Councilman Mike Bonin.
The ordinance required unanimous approval on its first reading to take effect immediately, so it will return to council on March 30, when it needs a simple majority vote to receive final approval.
The city ordinance, which went into effect Nov. 8, requires people age 12 and older to show proof of vaccination before frequenting closed restaurants, gyms, recreational and entertainment facilities, personal care establishments and some city buildings. town.
The law also requires people to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test to attend outdoor events with 5,000 people or more.
On March 9, the City Council voted 12-0 to approve a motion put forth by Council President Nury Martinez that essentially calls for rescinding the requirements, though individual businesses would be allowed to voluntarily require proof of vaccination from customers.
That motion asked the city attorney to prepare an ordinance to rescind the mandate, to be considered Wednesday.
Ordinances normally require a simple majority, but this ordinance includes an urgency clause that will take effect immediately upon publication. When emergency clauses are included, the ordinance requires the approval of three quarters of the City Council.
Los Angeles County will align with the state of California next month and lift the requirement that attendees of indoor mega-events, such as sporting events or concerts, show proof of a COVID-19 vaccination or submit a negative test.
The county has already removed the requirement that people show proof of vaccination to frequent the indoor facilities of bars, nightclubs and lounges or to attend outdoor mega-events.
But those attending indoor events of 1,000 or more people must still show proof of a COVID-19 vaccination or a recent negative test.
Vaccination verification or a negative test is still required for workers in health centers and group care centers.
According to the county Public Health Department, the requirement will be lifted on April 1 along with the state, which will also remove the mandate.
The move follows the lifting of other COVID-19 restrictions, such as indoor mask requirements, in response to declining numbers of infections and hospitalizations.
Despite the relaxation of such restrictions, county health officials continue to call for precautionary measures to be taken against the spread of the virus.
They note that the BA.2 COVID-19 subvariant is slowly beginning to spread locally and will likely gain a stronger foothold in the county, mirroring the pattern seen abroad and in some East Coast cities.
During the week ending February 26, 6.4% of all COVID-19 samples tested for variants were found to be the result of BA.2, which is a more infectious branch of the Omicron variant than fueled the recent winter spike in infections. That was an increase of 4.5% from the previous week.
Health officials noted Monday that while the percentage is still low, the same pattern was seen with the Omicron and Delta variants that became the main spreaders of the virus.
They said BA.2 is currently estimated to be responsible for 23% of sequenced cases nationally, while accounting for 30% of infections in New York City.
“The increasing presence of the highly transmissible BA.2 subvariant in many regions of this country reminds us that we must remain vigilant and prepared for the possibility of more cases in the near future,” Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said Monday.
“And while it is daunting to face this possibility, the best way to prevent another spike in cases, due to increased hospitalizations and deaths, is to increase vaccination and booster coverage. Given the compelling evidence that vaccines continue to protect against all variants and their wide availability, residents and workers are urged to use the next two weeks to catch up on their vaccinations,” he added.
“Waiting until we start seeing increases in cases is not optimal, as once there are more people who test positive, there is already more community transmission,” Ferrer said.
Health officials continued to urge people to take precautions, including wearing face masks in crowded situations, even though they are no longer required.
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