Unvaccinated could be shut out indoors
City Council: Motion would affect all public indoor spaces in effort to slow virus numbers
With coronavirus statistics continuing to soar to unnerving levels, the Los Angeles City Council took up a proposal introduced Wednesday by City Council President Nury Martinez that would require proof of at least partial vaccination against COVID-19 to enter public indoor spaces in the city, including restaurants, bars, gyms, concert venues, movie theaters and retail establishments.
As the City Council considered the motion, L.A. County reported its highest daily number of new COVID-19 infections since early February and
announced 16 more deaths linked to the virus, including a child younger than 12. The child had unspecified underlying health conditions, according to the county Department of Public Health. It marked the sixth COVID-19 death of a child in the county since the pandemic began. Two were under age 12 and four were between 12 and 17.
Another 3,734 COVID-19 cases were reported, the largest single-day number since early February. The new cases gave the county an overall total 1,311,656. The new deaths lifted the county’s death toll to 24,720.
As of Wednesday morning, 1,270 people were reported hospitalized with coronavirus-related illnesses in L.A. County, with 284 in intensive care, according to the state dashboard. That’s an increase from 1,242 people on Tuesday. As recently as on July 2, there were only 280 people hospitalized with COVID19-related illnesses.
“Enough is enough already,” said Martinez, who co-introduced the vaccine-proof motion along with Councilman Mitch O’Farrell. “Hospital workers are exhausted, moms who have put aside their careers are tired and our kids cannot afford the loss of another school year. We have three vaccines that work and are readily available, so what’s it going to take?”
On the subject of hospital workers, Martinez’ words proved prescient; later in the day, the county announced that infections were rising among health care workers.
L.A.’s motion
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday that his city would become the first in the U.S. to require proof of vaccination for a variety of activities for workers and customers — indoor dining, gyms and movie theaters — a move intended to put pressure on people to get vaccinated.
L.A.’s proposal is similar, but it would be more restrictive with the inclusion of retail establishments, potentially limiting access to some basic necessities. The New York policy restricts access only to more entertainment-oriented venues such as indoor restaurants, fitness centers and theaters.
According to O’Farrell’s office, the exact businesses that would fall under L.A.’s restrictions would be determined during the drafting of the ordinance by city attorneys. No determination has yet been made on whether such retail restrictions would extend to grocery stores.
The motion, if passed by the City Council, would instruct the city attorney to prepare an ordinance requiring “eligible individuals” to have received at least one dose of the vaccine before entering indoor spaces in the city.
Sparking the concern among officials is the delta variant, the most contagious coronavirus mutant so far in the pandemic. Experts say most COVID-19 vaccines still provide strong protection against it. Nearly all hospitalizations and deaths are among the unvaccinated. Still, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cited the delta’s surge for its updated advice that fully vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors in areas with high transmission.
L.A.’s motion also would instruct the Community Investment for Families Department to report immediately on how to expand the Vax UP L.A. campaign and what resources are needed for a citywide outreach and education program in an effort to expand vaccine coverage.
If the motion is approved, the Chief Legislative Analyst would work with other city departments to create an implementation strategy for the requirement and the city attorney would report to the council with a course of action for ensuring compliance.
“Hard-working Angelenos, their customers and the general public deserve to be safe in public spaces,” O’Farrell said. “The vaccines are our most effective form of protection, and the time to act is now.”
The motion was buoyed by Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas, who last week introduced his own motion to require city employees to be vaccinated.
“In light of the recent rise in infections and hospitalizations due to the more contagious delta variant, I believe now is the time to double down on our preemptive measures,” RidleyThomas said in a statement. “Across the country, states are requiring proof of vaccinations and the city of Los Angeles must follow suit. Mandatory vaccinations are unavoidable. We all need to do our part to prevent the transmission of this deadly virus.”
Several council members echoed those concerns:
• Councilman Joe Buscaino: “We must do everything in our power to avoid another shutdown. The rapid increase in cases means that we have to use every tool available to protect our neighbors and our economy.”
• Councilman Paul Koretz: “Vaccination rates are just not happening fast enough and unfortunately, it seems that the only way to stop the aggressive spread of the virus is through aggressive policy.”
• Councilman Kevin de Leon: “We’ve got to stop playing games with this virus. Vaccines are the best protection against serious illness and death, so it’s time for us to get serious about protecting our city’s workers, families, and businesses,” he said.
Mayor Eric Garcetti’s office didn’t respond directly to the motion, but said in a statement, “With cases and hospitalizations rising rapidly, we are not taking anything off the table.”
Businesses not happy
The motion set off discussion among people who invite the public into their businesses.
“I’m not a fan of that,” said Camila Perry, owner of Old Tavern Sherman Oaks and North End in Hollywood. “Stopping someone at the door, then asking for their ID and asking for their vaccination card.”
She said she has limited capacity at her restaurant and bar “to keep people safe indoors even though we’re not required to do that.”
She said she worried that the new rule could lead to some patrons potentially forging vaccination cards to get into a bar or restaurant.
“We support the right of individual organizations and businesses to make these decisions on their own,” said Nancy Hoffman Vanyek, president and chief executive at the Greater San Fernando Valley Chamber of Commerce.
Hoffman Vanyek said that since the vaccine is showing success at preventing severe illness and hospitalization, government agencies should not be required “vaccine passports,” adding that the City Council’s rule could potentially place the burden on the businesses and their employees “to police their patrons.”
Two West Hollywood restaurants — Tom Tom Restaurant and PUMP — owned by mogul and reality television star Lisa Vanderpump, posted on Instagram new dining guidelines, requiring patrons to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test starting Sunday.
“Due to the increase in COVID cases and the delta variant ... we will require all guests to show proof of vaccination, or a negative COVID test within 24 hours, before entry,” according to messages posted on Instagram accounts. “Proof of vaccination can be in the form of a vaccine card, a digital version, scan or photo of vaccine card and match your valid ID.”
The restaurants are in a different municipality with its own City Council, though, so the L.A. rules, if approved, would not apply there.
It’s unclear if county officials will consider such a movement.
“We applaud the City of LA for assessing risks to their residents, businesses, and customers and adding additional layers of protection, including requiring proof of vaccination” said a Wednesday statement from county Public Health officials. “We will be working with the Board of Supervisors, businesses and labor partners to explore all options for improving rates of vaccinations and promoting safety across all worksites and indoor spaces in L.A. County.”
County health officials continue to urge vaccinations as the best defense against COVID-19 infections, which are disproportionately affecting the unvaccinated and landing them in hospitals.
County Depertment of Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said last week that of all the people who were hospitalized in the county due to COVID-19 in June, 92% were either unvaccinated entirely or not fully vaccinated. The figure was 95% in May. For the first 10 days of July — the most recent statistic available — the rate was 91%.
Ferrer also said that 99.8% of the COVID-19 fatalities in the county during the first six months of the year occurred among the unvaccinated. The rate was 96% from April 1 to June 30, a period during which vaccines were more widely available.
Of the county’s 10.3 million residents, 60% have received at least one dose and 52% are fully vaccinated. Roughly 1.3 million residents under age 12 remain ineligible for the vaccine.
Among residents age 16 and over, 72% have received at least one dose, and 63% are fully vaccinated, according to the most recent county figures. The rates are significantly higher among older residents, with 89% of county residents aged 65 and over with at least one dose and 79% fully vaccinated.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles County Supervisors Janice Hahn and Sheila Kuehl said Tuesday that they would ask their colleagues next week to approve a policy requiring all 100,000 county employees to either be vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing. The move would mirror moves by the state and cities of Los Angeles, Long Beach and Pasadena.
“We have a responsibility to protect our employees, the residents who depend on them and lead by example,” Hahn said in a Twitter post on Tuesday, announcing the motion, which will go before the board next week.
If approved, the motion would ask the county CEO, attorneys and Department of Human Resources to develop a vaccination policy for employees within 15 days, requiring them “to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or be tested at least once per week.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom previously announced that all state employees and all workers at public and private health care facilities in California will be required to be vaccinated or get tested at least once per week.
Garcetti and Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia last week announced similar policies for their municipal employees. The city of Pasadena previously announced plans to implement a vaccine requirement for workers. Labor negotiations are under way over how to implement L.A.’s policy.
Health worker threat
County officials noted that COVID-19 infections have been increasing among health care workers. The county had been reporting fewer than 50 cases per week involving health care workers for the past few months, but the number jumped to 295 during the week that ended July 17 and 175 for the week ending July 24.
As of mid-June, 68% of surveyed health care workers in the county were fully vaccinated, along with 85% of skilled nursing facility staff, according to the Department of Public Health.
“Protecting those not yet eligible for vaccinations, including children under 12, should be everyone’s top priority,” Ferrer said in a statement. “With high levels of transmission in the community and more people needing care from our health-care providers, increasing vaccination rates among those eligible to get vaccinated is the best way to protect children under the age of 12.
“Health care workers, in particular, should be fully vaccinated to ensure that those needing care have reduced chances of an exposure. The vaccines continue to be our most powerful tool against COVID-19. We are finding that unvaccinated and partially vaccinated people are nearly four times more likely to get infected than fully vaccinated individuals. I encourage everyone to get fully vaccinated if you are eligible, wear a mask in indoor public settings, move social activities outdoors as much as possible, and wash your hands or use hand sanitizer frequently.”