Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and City Council President Nury Martinez, 6th District, announced on July 27 a campaign for mandatory COVID-19 vaccines for city employees, beginning with a requirement that workers either submit proof of vaccination or a weekly negative test.

That requirement is part of a broader push to mandate vaccines for all employees once the federal Food and Drug Administration grants full approval to COVID-19 vaccines. It comes as the highly contagious Delta variant continues to drive a surge in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths among the unvaccinated individuals.

“The fourth wave is here, and the choice for Angelenos couldn’t be clearer – get vaccinated or get COVID-19,” Garcetti said. “So please, visit your doctor’s office, or a local drug store, or one of our many free sites and get the vaccine right now, because it could mean the difference between life and death for you or a loved one. This urgent need means that if you’re a city employee, we’re now going to require you to either show that you’re vaccinated or take a weekly test, and we’re committed to pursuing a full vaccine mandate. I urge employers across Los Angeles to follow this example.”

“Angelenos have stayed inside for over a year to protect themselves and others. I think it’s safe to say that we’re getting tired of putting our lives on hold to protect people who don’t want to protect themselves and get vaccinated,” Martinez said. “In order for us, as leaders, to ask Angelenos to get vaccinated, we must set an example as the largest employer in the city of Los Angeles. This is us doing our part.”

The new policy will require all department general managers to verify and keep track of their employees’ vaccination status, and submit reports to the city’s Personnel Department. Each employee will be required to show proof of full vaccination to their department’s human resources representative. In the absence of proof, employees must show proof of a negative COVID-19 test on a weekly basis. Discussions are ongoing with the city’s labor partners about the specific testing implementation plan.

The mayor and City Council also plan to aggressively pursue a vaccine mandate for all city workers.

“In the last month or so, the rate of COVID-19 cases has increased over twentyfold. Unless we take this action quickly, we will wind up with our hospitals flooded with COVID patients and we’ll be setting new records for COVID infections per day,” said Councilman Paul Koretz, 5th District, chairman of the council’s Personnel Committee. “Becoming fully vaccinated is the best protection that people can take to reduce the risk of infection, illness and death, especially given the latest surge of infections due to the Delta variant. The city of Los Angeles has a responsibility to maintain the health of municipal workers and members of the public who interact with them.”

For information, visit coronavirus.lacity.org/getvaccinated.