LOS ANGELES (KNX) — Los Angeles County health officials announced Thursday they were ramping up efforts to combat an apparent growing threat from the Omicron variant of COVID-19, including new rules for large-scale events.
Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said that beginning Friday anyone attending indoor or outdoor so-called “mega events” in L.A. County who do not provide proof of full vaccination must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 antigen test within one day, or proof of a negative PCR test within two days of the event.
Previous health orders required proof of a negative test within 3 days.
A “mega event” in L.A. County is defined as indoor gatherings of more than 1,000, or outdoor gatherings of more than 10,000. Children under the age of two will be exempt from the new rule for indoor events; children under five will be exempt for outdoor events.
As of Friday, 30 cases of the Omicron variant have been detected in L.A. County, with 24 among fully vaccinated individuals, four of whom have received booster shots. None have been hospitalized, and Ferrer stressed there was no evidence to indicate Omicron causes more severe symptoms than previous variants, but was known to be more easily transmissible.
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