Los Angeles to Require Proof of Vaccination for Restaurants, Bars, and More Starting Nov. 4

Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Los Angeles is joining cities across the country in requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination for entry into social venues like restaurants, bars, museums, and nightclubs.

Starting Nov. 4, guests 12 and older, as well as employees of the establishments, will be required to show proof of vaccination.

"Vaccinating more Angelenos is our only way out of this pandemic, and we must do everything in our power to keep pushing those numbers up," the city's Mayor Eric Garcetti said on Wednesday after signing the rule into a law. "These new rules will encourage more people to get the shot, and make businesses safer for workers and customers."

The mandate will also apply to retail stores, salons, wineries, breweries, movie theaters, and sports arenas. Employees will be required to have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine when the rule goes into effect and will need to have received both doses of a two-dose vaccine also by Nov. 4.

A vaccine requirement for theme parks has also gone into effect. Los Angeles also has had an indoor mask mandate in place since July.

Several other places that have enacted similar requirements, including Maui, San Francisco, New Orleans, and New York, are requiring patrons of indoor restaurants to have been vaccinated before entering.

The mandates come as the number of COVID-19 cases around the world is climbing, driven by the highly contagious delta variant of the virus.

Los Angeles County alone has seen nearly 1.5 million cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began and more than 25,000 deaths. Hospitalization rates have been declining and Ferrer said local officials believe a vaccination mandate is the best way for the county to "be better able to break the cycle of surges."

Meena Thiruvengadam is a Travel + Leisure contributor who has visited 50 countries on six continents and 47 U.S. states. She loves historic plaques, wandering new streets and walking on beaches. Find her on Facebook and Instagram.