Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Hilda Solis issued an executive order late Wednesday evening requiring all county employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
All 110,000 county employees will have until Oct. 1 to get vaccinated, but the order does allow for medical and religious exemptions. No decision has been made yet on if employees will be able to show proof of weekly negative COVID-19 tests in place of getting vaccinated.
Solis cited the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant and the county’s 3,734 new cases on Wednesday as reasons she felt compelled to issue the executive order.
Wednesday's case count was the highest daily number of new COVID-19 infections since early February. The county also confirmed 16 additional deaths, including a child under the age of 12.
“When the county marked its re-opening on June 15, there were only 210 confirmed cases, fewer than 220 were hospitalized with COVID-19, and the positivity rate sat at an incredibly low 0.6%,” she said in a statement.
“However, with the rapid spread of the Delta variant, our daily cases have increased nearly eighteen-fold and hospitalizations more than five-fold. As vaccinations continue at a pace slower than what is necessary to slow the spread, the need for immediate action is great.”
It has been over two weeks since the county reinstated its indoor mask requirement. COVID-19 cases have continued to go up, but their rate of increase has slowed slightly.
“My hope is that we slow the spread and get back to a much slower rate by early September,” said county Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer.
Solis’ announcement followed City Council President Nury Martinez’s introduction of a motion Wednesday that would require "eligible" people to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccination to enter indoor venues in the city. The motion went even further than New York City’s recent announcement that the city would require proof of vaccination to enter indoor dining and gyms.
The county government will meet with labor partners to discuss implementation.
“We must all be prepared to come together and do our part to protect one another and get this virus under control once more. We cannot wait another day as this virus continues to upend and dramatically alter the lives of our residents," Solis said.
The full executive order is available to read here.