CA Mandates Proof Of Vaccination, Testing For Big Indoor Events

CALIFORNIA — Californians looking forward to a large summer concert indoors will need their vaccination cards on hand or a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of the event, officials announced Wednesday.

All events with 1,000 or more attendees are required to enforce the new policy beginning Sept. 20. The mandate is set to remain in place until Nov. 1.

The new rule comes on the heels of similar mandates for health care workers, hospital visitors and all K-12 school staff.

“The Delta variant has proven to be highly transmissible, making it easier to spread in large crowds where people are near each other for long periods of time,” Dr. Tomás J. Aragón, the state's public health officer, said in a statement. “By requiring individuals to be vaccinated, or test negative for COVID-19 at large events, we are decreasing the risk of infection, hospitalization and death.”

Californians were previously allowed to simply "self-attest" to being vaccinated or having tested negative. But the new rule requires digital or physical proof. Previous guidelines applied only to events with 5,000 or more people; the new rules lowered that threshold to 1,000.

In Los Angeles County, officials moved to impose a mask-wearing mandate for all attendees at outdoor events with 10,000 or more people — a step that could be on the horizon for the state.

The leaders of two major entertainment companies expressed their support for the state's vaccine-or-testing mandate for indoor events.

"Today's announcement adds another layer of protection to make our state, our venues and our communities safer," said Dan Beckerman, president and CEO of AEG. "Our fans, our team members and our families all want to feel as protected as possible from COVID-19 while enjoying our favorite concerts and sporting events. We are proud to partner with public health officials to continue to play a role in encouraging those who haven't gotten vaccinated to follow the advice of the medical experts."

Michael Rapino, president and CEO of Live Nation Entertainment, added, "Vaccination and health check requirements ensure everyone can continue enjoying live music while also encouraging even more people to go get vaccinated, which is why Live Nation has made this the standard at our venues and festivals across the country. We fully support California's efforts and will stay in lockstep to keep bringing live music back to the Golden State."

The Golden State continued its crackdown on requiring vaccination and testing as the unprecedented delta variant continued to drive up cases among the unvaccinated and the vaccinated, albeit at a much lower rate for the latter.

The highly transmissible variant has also posed a threat to immunocompromised residents, who were approved this week to receive a booster shot of the COVID-19 vaccine. Federal officials recommended Wednesday that all vaccinated Americans get COVID-19 booster shots eight months after their last dose.

Protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection begins to wane over time following the initial doses of vaccination, which prompted the recommendation of booster shots for all, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said Wednesday.

"Based on our latest assessment, the current protection against severe disease, hospitalization, and death could diminish in the months ahead, especially among those who are at higher risk or were vaccinated during the earlier phases of the vaccination rollout," the agencies said. "For that reason, we conclude that a booster shot will be needed to maximize vaccine-induced protection and prolong its durability."

The new order arrived days after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed another executive order to bolster staffing, space and resources for hospitals and schools across the state Monday. The order signaled that the pandemic could take another drastic turn as hospitals prepare for a heavier influx of patients.

California's positivity rate was 6.1 percent on Monday, and hospitalizations have doubled in California, from 2,543 patients on July 23 to 7,166 on Monday. In that same time frame, the number of patients in intensive care units rose from 582 to 1,637.

The vast majority of new cases are among those who are unvaccinated, a group associated with 600 percent higher case rates, according to state data. For the week of Aug. 7, the average case rate among unvaccinated Californians was 51 per 100,000 per day; the average case rate among vaccinated Californians was just 8.2 per 100,000 per day, according to the state.

More than 55 percent of Californians have been fully vaccinated, according to data from the Los Angeles Times. And 63.5 percent of eligible Californians have received at least one dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, the newspaper reported.

"If we want to end this pandemic and disease, we could do it in a month," Newsom said at Claremont Middle School last week after announcing vaccine and testing mandates for education staff. "This disease is now a choice. The one thing that could end this pandemic once and for all is available in abundance to everybody that wants it. Regardless of your ability to pay, regardless of your immigration status: It's available today."

City News Service contributed to this report.