Responding to concerns from the theme park industry, Los Angeles County has slightly eased its upcoming Covid-19 vaccination/testing requirement for visitors to large venues such as Six Flags Magic Mountain and Universal Studios Hollywood, but the overall mandate will remain.
A recently enacted county Health Officer Order will require all outdoor mega-event attendees and staff to present proof of Covid vaccination within 72 hours. The mandate takes effect on Oct. 7.
This order will be applicable to large theme parks that were recently reclassified by the state as large outdoor event venues.
Theme parks in the county, along with an industry association, expressed concerns about the requirement, contending they had limited staffing to check the required documentation — both a vaccine/testing verification and a photo ID — potentially leading to long lines for admission to the parks. They also suggested that patrons who bought tickets prior to the requirements being announced should be allowed a grace period.
Barbara Ferrer, the county Public Health Director, stated that small changes have been made to make it easier for the rules to be implemented at Universal Studios and Magic Mountain.
Specifically, the county will no longer require proof of a negative Covid test for patrons aged 11 and younger — an age group that is still ineligible for vaccinations. Patrons 17 years and older were also allowed to provide photo ID with their vaccination/testing verification.
The county agreed to postpone the requirement that patrons aged 18 or older provide a photo ID until Nov. 1. However, people will still need to submit the vaccine/testing verification starting Oct. 7.
Ferrer said the delay “gives everybody more time to put your (vaccine/testing verification) systems in place and then add the ID requirement come November.”
Supervisor Kathryn Barger, whose district includes Magic Mountain, said she sympathized with the park and its concerns about implementing the county’s requirements, which go beyond those mandated by the state. She said the requirement “took Six Flags by surprise,” even though discussions about such requirements have been ongoing in public for weeks. Barger encouraged Ferrer to be more involved with industries that might be affected by the new orders from health officers.
Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, whose district includes Universal Studios, said she is “a lot less patient with the businesses that have complained like they didn’t see this coming and were so blindsided.”
“The reason that they don’t want to change is that they’ve pre-sold millions of dollars worth of tickets all around the country,” Kuehl said..
“We have enormous numbers of visitors from all around the country, including red states with very high infection rates…This is a very large number of people, especially for the Halloween tickets, which is what Universal is worried about. They really want to pack the park. I think to their credit they’re understanding, they’re stepping up, they want to work on it. But I would suggest that industry has a job as well, and that job is, don’t just send me a letter saying. ‘don’t do this.’ Because that’s not helpful. We’re going to do it, and I don’t mean just with the theme parks.”
The county’s new health order will also require proof of vaccination for all customers and employees in indoor portions of bars, wineries, breweries, nightclubs and lounges. All employees and patrons will require at least one dose of the vaccine by October 7, and another dose by November 4.
The order recommends but does not require vaccine verification for customers and employees in indoor restaurants.
City News Service contributed this report.