(Bloomberg) — Los Angeles County is requiring that guests attending large events like outdoor concerts and ballgames show proof of vaccination or a negative Covid-19 test from the past 72 hours, saying the change is needed to coax residents into getting their shots.
Large outdoor venues will need to comply by Oct. 7, the county said Thursday in an emailed statement. Places like bars and nightclubs will have to require that customers and employees have at least one dose of the vaccine by that date and both doses by Nov. 4.
“We in public health believe that targeted vaccination mandates are an important strategy for quickly raising vaccination coverage in our county and ending the pandemic,” the health department said.
Los Angeles is the most-populous county in the U.S., with some 10 million residents. Affected businesses in the region include Comcast Corp.’s Universal Studios and Six Flags Entertainment Corp.’s Magic Mountain amusement park, along with major sports venues like Dodger Stadium and SoFi Stadium, where the NFL’s Rams and Chargers play. Disneyland is in neighboring Orange County.
“Theme parks have not been categorized as mega-event venues in previous county health orders and have different operational capabilities and practices,” a Universal spokesperson said in an email. “We are reviewing the updated order with health officials with that context in mind.”
Six Flags said in an email it’s continuing to monitor the situation.
The Hollywood Bowl, a popular outdoor concert venue in Los Angeles, updated its Covid-19 policy on Wednesday, saying patrons must be fully vaccinated or show a negative coronavirus test from the past three days starting Sept. 24.
The Dodgers declined to comment on the order. A spokesman said the team will announce updates to its fan safety policies and procedures at the appropriate time.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, who successfully fought off a recall attempt tied in part to his handling of the crisis, said Wednesday that while he supported the Los Angeles mandate he didn’t see a need for it statewide, according to the Associated Press.
“We’re satisfied with where the state is today,” he said.
(Updates with Universal Studios comment in fifth paragraph.)
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