Proof of vaccination now required in LA
LOS ANGELES — Yoga studio owner David Gross felt relieved after Los Angeles passed a vaccine mandate that is among the strictest in the country, a measure taking effect, today, that requires proof of shots for everyone entering a wide variety of businesses from restaurants to shopping malls and theaters to nail and hair salons.
For Gross, the relief came from knowing he and his co-owner don’t have to unilaterally decide whether to verify their customers are vaccinated. In another part of town, the manager of a struggling nail salon feels trepidation and expects to lose customers. “This is going to be hard for us,” Lucila Vazquez said.
Los Angeles is among a growing number of cities across the US, including San Francisco and New York City, requiring people show proof of vaccination to enter various types of businesses and venues. But rules in the nation’s second-most-populous city, called SafePassLA, apply to more types of businesses and other indoor locations including museums and convention centers.
They are being implemented as new cases have started inching up following a sharp decline from an August peak driven by the delta variant.
This was the time of year in 2020 when the worst spike of the pandemic was just beginning in California, which by January saw an average of 500 people die, every day. Los Angeles became the state’s epicenter and its hospitals were so overloaded with patients that ambulances idled outside with people struggling to breathe, waiting for beds to open.
So many people died that morgues reached capacity and refrigerated trucks were brought in to handle the overflow. That stark scene played out as Coronavirus vaccines arrived and California and Los Angeles moved aggressively to inoculate people.
Among LA County’s roughly 10 million people, 80% of eligible residents now have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose and 71% of those eligible are fully vaccinated, according to public health officials.
Palmdale officials have announced a number of road closures for the upcoming week.
The closures, in effect through Sunday unless otherwise noted, include:
•Intermittent lane closures at Avenue R and Division Street for water line installation. Signal will be in flashing red (four-way-stop) at times.
•Intermittent lane closure of the eastbound right lane of Avenue R from 10th to 15th streets east for tree removals.
•Shoulder work for street improvements along the north side of Avenue R east of 35th Street East.
•North side of Avenue R east of 35th Street East for shoulder work and street improvements.
•Flagged single lane closure on Sierra Highway for 1,000 feet north and south of Barrel Springs Road for Palmdale Water District mainline improvements.
•Rancho Vista Boulevard at Town Center Drive, intermittent lane and street closures for street improvement construction.
•Taintor Road between Delacour Drive and Hendon Drive, intermittent lane and street closures for street improvement construction.
•Intermittent lane closures on Avenue T between 65th and 70th streets east for storm drain installation.
•Intermittent street and lane closures on Challenger Way between Columbia Way (Avenue M) and Avenue L for road work.
•Intermittent lane closure on Avenue O-8 at 11th Street West for utility and street improvements. Traffic signal may be flashing red (four-way stop) at times for certain phases of the traffic control plan.
Lancaster officials have announced a number of road closures for the upcoming week.
The closures, in effect through Sunday unless otherwise noted, include:
•Intermittent lane and intersection closures and detours on 10th Street West between Avenue H and Lancaster Boulevard due to Public Works Construction Project 16-004. Improvements include bulbouts, ADA ramps, bike lanes, raised landscaped medians and street repairs.
•Moving lane closures on 10th Street West between Lancaster Boulevard and Avenue L, and on Avenue L between Sierra Highway and 10th Street West, due to Public Works Construction Project 21-001.
•Intermittent lane closures on Sierra Highway between avenues H and Avenue J; Avenue K between 20th and 25th streets west; Avenue J-12 at 17th Street West, and Avenue H between 25th and 35th streets west for sidewalk, curb, and gutter repairs related to Public Works Construction Project 20-010.
• Lane closures on Challenger Way between Avenue L and Avenue K-12/James Court, and shoulder closures between avenues L and L-12, due to gas main installation by Southern California Gas Co.