EFFECTIVE NOW! PROOF OF VACCINE VERIFICATION REQUIRED IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY & COVERED CITY LOCATIONS

Updated October 29, 2021
-by Alysha Zapata

EFFECTIVE NOW! PROOF OF VACCINE VERIFICATION REQUIRED IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY & COVERED CITY LOCATIONS

In the past month, the County of Los Angeles and City of Los Angeles, each passed separate mandates requiring that patrons in certain settings show proof of their COVID-19 vaccination status in select locations. 

COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES MANDATE

Effective now, “higher risk” settings in Los Angeles County require proof of at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccination. (County of LA Order.)

What are “higher risk settings” in Los Angeles County?

The Los Angeles County Public Health Department’s modified Order (“LA County Order”) requires settings serving persons and populations that have lower rates of vaccination and higher risks of being infected, to take additional COVID-19 risk reduction measures. 

These include: 

• Day camps  
• K-12 schools and school districts 
• Mega Events: Indoor Mega Events with greater than 1,000 indoor attendees and Outdoor Mega Events with over 10,000 attendees 
• Overnight organized/ children’s camps
• Organized youth sports activities
• Bars, breweries, wineries and distilleries
• Nightclubs and lounges

Mega Events

Commencing October 7, 2021, Mega Event attendees shall be permitted entry only upon proof of the full vaccination status or pre-entry negative COVID-19 viral test.

Nightclubs, Lounges, Bars, Breweries, Wineries and Distilleries

Now in effect through November 3, 2021, patrons seeking indoor seating at a bar, brewery, winery or distillery must show proof of at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccination. 

Commencing November 4, 2021, patrons ages 12 and older, seeking indoor seating at any bar, brewery, winery or distillery, must provide proof of their full COVID-19 vaccination status. 

Note that, non-vaccinated patrons are permitted to dine in the outdoor seating areas, if available.

Effective October 7, 2021, bars with a low-risk food facility public health permit must require patrons, ages 12 and older, to provide proof of their COVID-19 vaccination status for entry. Breweries, wineries and distilleries with a no.1, 2, 4, 23 and/or 74 state alcohol license, that do not have a public health permit, must require patrons, ages 12 and older, to provide proof of their COVID-19 vaccination status for entry. 

Mandatory Reporting 

Persons and businesses within the County of Los Angeles Public Health Jurisdiction must continue to follow the COVID-19 infection control protocols and guidance. In the event that an owner, manager, or operator of any business knows of three (3) or more cases of COVID-19 among their employees within a span of 14 days, the employer must report this outbreak to the Department of Public Health at (888) 397-3993 or (213) 240-7821 or online at: www.redcap.link/covidreport. 

CITY OF LOS ANGELES MANDATE 

The City of Los Angles vaccine verification mandate (“City of LA Order”) imposes a more expansive approach to the vaccination requirement, as it applies not only to the “higher risk” settings listed above, but also the following “covered locations” within the City of Los Angeles proper: 

• Outdoor Large Events with between 5,000 and 9,999 attendees;  
• Food & Beverage Establishments: coffee shops, cafeterias, hotel ballrooms; 
• Gyms & Fitness Venues: fitness centers, yoga, pilates, dance studios, and other facilities conducting indoor group fitness classes; 
• Entertainment and Recreation Venues: movie theaters, museums, shopping centers, malls, bowling alleys, pool and billiard halls; and
• Personal Care Establishments: spas, nail salons, hair salons, barbershops, tanning salons, and piercing shops. 

Note: This is a non-exhaustive list. See the City of LA Order for more covered locations. 

Commencing October 21, 2021, covered locations in the City of Los Angeles are required to display, in a visible location, an advisory notice to all patrons that commencing November 4, 2021, proof of vaccination is required to enter an indoor portion of a covered location. 

Commencing November 4, 2021, any patron who cannot provide proof of vaccination upon entering an outdoor large event must verify proof of a negative Covid-19 test prior to entry. 

REMINDER: Even though an individual may have received a second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, the individual is not considered “fully vaccinated” until the requisite 2-week (14 day) period after receiving that second dose. The same 2-week period rule applies after receiving your Johnson & Johnson vaccine. 

PENALTIES FOR VIOLATIONS

Operators of covered locations or outdoor large events who fail to comply with the City of LA Order will be issued a warning and notice for the first violation. 

The second violation will result in a fine of $1,000.

The third violation will result in a fine of $2,000. 

The fourth violation and each subsequent violation thereafter will result in a fine of $5,000.

Face Masks Are Here to Stay!

Face masks continue to be required in the following settings: 

• On public transit (examples: airplanes, trains, subways, taxis, etc.); 
• In transportation hubs (examples: airport, bus terminals, subway stations, etc.); 
• Indoors in K-12 schools, childcare and other youth settings; 
• Healthcare settings;
• State and local correctional facilities and detention centers; 
• Indoor public settings, venues, gatherings, and public and private business (examples: retail, food and beverage services, theaters, meetings, Indoor Mega Events, etc.); 
• And Outdoor Mega Events. 

Best Practices for Businesses

In higher risk settings, where there is close contact to people who may not be fully vaccinated, “double masking” or use of a respirator (e.g., KN95), is recommended. 

All business and governmental entities are urged to implement increased ventilation strategies and consider moving operations or activities outdoors, where feasible.

In order to reduce potential conflict upon entry, consider utilizing technology by requiring patrons to submit proof of their vaccine verification online prior to entry. 

For purposes of maintaining sales, consider investing in a warm outdoor seating area for non-vaccinated patrons. Despite the purpose of the orders being to increase vaccinated individuals, there will surely be a large subset of the population that will remain unwilling to get vaccinated. 

The LA County Order highly recommends that restaurants prioritize indoor seating and service for patrons who are fully vaccinated. Patrons who cannot show proof of their full vaccination status may be served outdoors.

Reach out to us for advice regarding how you can protect your employees and business in the coming months.