LA County will require vaccinations to enter bars, restaurants, businesses

Time is running out for unvaccinated Angelenos to hit their favorite bar or nightclub.

Los Angeles County is set to issue a vaccine mandate on Friday for employees and patrons of bars, wineries, breweries, nightclubs, and lounges, according to the Los Angeles Times. The rule will require people to get at least one dose by Oct. 7 and be fully inoculated by Nov. 4.

It also applies to theme parks and outdoor events with more than 10,000 people.

The mandate for the county, where about 67 percent of residents are at least partially vaccinated, would become the most populous jurisdiction to require vaccines for some type of business.

It isn’t alone: San Francisco and Berkeley already require anyone over the age of 12 to show proof of vaccination to enter restaurants, bars, and gyms. Contra Costa County, Palm Springs, and Cathedral City adopted similar measures for some of the same businesses, but also allow entry with a recent negative test.

Authorities have tightened and loosened coronavirus mitigation measures as cases spiked and waned over the last 18 months. L.A. County brought back a mask mandate in July for retailers and indoor venues as the Delta variant spread.

Some restaurant owners, struggling after months of closures and low traffic, have criticized authorities for tightening mitigation measures.

L.A. could be in for a repeat of last fall, when cooler weather brought more people indoors and authorities restricted indoor and outdoor dining as virus cases surged.

[LAT] — Dennis Lynch