L.A. County plans to require proof of vaccination at indoor bars, nightclubs, breweries, wineries

Proof of COVID-19 vaccination will be required at indoor bars, wineries, breweries, nightclubs and lounges in Los Angeles County under a forthcoming health order aimed at further armoring the region against the pandemic.

The mandate, which will be issued by Friday, will require patrons and employees to have at least one vaccine dose by Oct. 7 and be fully vaccinated by Nov. 4, according to Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer.

L.A. County, like the rest of the state and nation, has for months been battling the latest wave of the coronavirus, which has been fueled by the highly infectious Delta variant.

Though there are indications that the latest surge is losing some steam, officials are already turning a wary eye to the fall and winter, when the busy holiday season will bring people together from all over and colder weather will increasingly push gatherings and recreation indoors.

“This is a reasonable path forward that will position us to be better able to break the cycle of surges,” Ferrer said during Wednesday’s L.A. County Board of Supervisors meeting.

About 67% of Angelenos have already been at least partially inoculated against COVID-19.

Under the new order, participants and workers at outdoor “mega events” with more than 10,000 attendees will also need to provide proof of vaccination or show that they’ve recently tested negative for the coronavirus, starting Oct. 7. That requirement is already in place for indoor events of at least 1,000 people.