LA County Tightens Rules For Mega Events Amid Rising COVID Numbers
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Los Angeles County health officials Thursday announced new rules for those attending large events in an effort to combat rising COVID cases.
Beginning Friday, anyone attending indoor or outdoor mega-events in the county without proof of full vaccination will be required to show proof of a negative COVID test within one day (if antigen test) or two days (if PCR test) of the event, Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer announced.
Children under age 2 are exempt from the rule for indoor events, and children under 5 are exempt for outdoor events. To date, the county's health order required proof of a negative test within 72 hours.
Mega events are defined as gatherings of more than 1,000 people or outdoor events of more than 10,000 people.
Ferrer also announced the county will be taking other measures to combat the latest surge, including:
- weekly testing for residents and staff at skilled nursing facilities.
- negative test required within 72 hours for visitors at SNFs.
- added outreach efforts to encourage safety and vaccines, including town halls and social media efforts.
- Increased testing capacity and vaccinated outreach for homeless people.
Meanwhile Thursday, Ferrer announced 30 cases of Omicron have been detected in Los Angeles County, 24 among fully vaccinated people, four of whom had booster shots. None have been hospitalized and none have died.
(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)