Los Angeles Proposes Vaccinated-Only Gym Patrons Amid Delta Variant Surge
Los Angeles is looking at a future where gym goers must be vaccinated. A proposal for indoor venues, including gyms, requiring vaccinated-only visitors in the Southern California city was voted for drafting prior to potentially becoming law.
Soon, indoor venues, including gyms, may require vaccinated-only visitors in the city of Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles Times reports that LA’s City Council voted for a draft of the law proposal before its finalization. Prior to the news, Los Angeles called for proof of vaccination or weekly testing of city employees.
Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez told the LA Times, “If we ever want to get back to normal, to what Los Angeles was like pre-COVID, we need to stop the spread in places most high risk. So, if individuals want to go to their gym, go to their local bar without a mask, you need to get vaccinated. And if you want to watch a basketball game, a baseball game, go to a concert at a big venue, or even go into a movie theater, you need to get a shot.”
By May, the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health issued a detailed reopening protocol for gyms and other fitness institutions. The document outlined a number of regulations, including mandates for employees to wear face masks at all times “except when working along in private offices with closed doors or when eating or drinking,” and face shields declared as “optional for employees that show acceptable proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 to their employer.” At the time, face masks were still a requirement.
As of August 13, those rules were “retired.”
On July 30, a new blueprint to reduce coronavirus transmission was enacted, calling for the requirement of all customers, vaccinated or not, “to bring and wear masks when they are indoors.” Employees have been asked to do the same, with the addition of wearing masks “in shared vehicles.” Other directives also include the need to reduce indoor crowding, screen customers, and the provision of proper ventilation.
As of August 12, 3,865 new coronavirus cases and 1,339,138 total cases in Los Angeles county were reported, per the County of Los Angeles Public Health.
