Los Angeles Indoor Vaccine Mandate to Begin in November

The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday voted and approved an ordinance that will require people entering movie theaters and other large indoor entertainment venues to be vaccinated for COVID-19.

The ordinance passed with 11 “aye” votes but did not receive enough votes for the “urgency clause” to pass, and it will go into effect on Nov. 4. The ordinance will apply to bars, gyms, restaurants, shopping centers and other large indoor public spaces and entertainment venues. And according to the Los Angeles Times, Mayor Eric Garcetti plans to sign the city ordinance into law.

Residents in L.A. will now have to show proof of vaccination in order to access most indoor spaces, and those with medical or religious exemptions to the coronavirus will need to provide a recent negative COVID test result.

Businesses will need to require proof of vaccines for entry, and those that violate the rules will be subject to an escalating penalty, beginning with a warning for the first violation, a $1,000 fine for the second and a $5,000 fine for the fourth violation. Enforcement of the fines will begin Nov. 29, according the ordinance, and the requirement for vaccines will be lifted when the city lifts its emergency declaration for the COVID-19 pandemic.

Those briefly entering an indoor space to pick up food for a takeout order or to use the bathroom will have an exemption from showing proof of vaccine.

The news comes after the city council unanimously approved the motion to draft the ordinance back in August.

In terms of what the requirement might mean at the box office, the Los Angeles vaccine requirement goes into effect the same weekend as Marvel’s “Eternals” hits theaters on Nov. 5, and other films such as “Belfast,” “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” and “King Richard” are set to roll out throughout the month.

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