Los Angeles to require city employees prove vaccination status or submit weekly tests

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Do employers have the right to mandate COVID vaccines?

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Los Angeles city workers are now required to submit their proof of vaccination against COVID-19 or submit a weekly negative test, city officials said Tuesday. 

The new policy is part of a broader plan by Democratic Mayor Eric Garcetti and City Council President Nury Martinez to "aggressively" pursue a vaccine mandate for all city workers once vaccines have received full approval by the Food and Drug Administration. 

It comes as the delta variant, a mutated and more transmissible version of the virus, is sweeping the country. The nation is averaging more than 57,000 cases a day and 24,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations. 

Los Angeles has emerged as a hotspot in recent weeks, prompting city officials to reimpose mask-wearing indoors for residents, regardless of vaccination status. 

In a statement, Garcetti urged Los Angeles residents to get vaccinated, saying it "could mean the difference between life and death for you or a loved one."

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"The fourth wave is here, and the choice for Angelenos couldn’t be clearer — get vaccinated or get COVID-19," Garcetti said, urging other employers across the city to follow his lead in pursuing a "full vaccine mandate." 

Martinez, the city council president, said Angelenos who have followed the rules are "getting tired of putting our lives on hold to protect people who don’t want to protect themselves and get vaccinated." 

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Per the city’s new policy, all department heads will be required to verify and keep track of their employees’ vaccination status and submit reports to the Personnel Department detailing that information. Employees will then be compelled to prove to their department’s HR representative that they are fully vaccinated or submit a negative COVID-19 test on a weekly basis.