LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Los Angeles County health inspectors continue to find high levels of compliance by bars and nightclubs with COVID-19 vaccination- verification requirements, but some other businesses are still falling short in enforcing mask-wearing requirements, officials said.
According to the county Department of Public Health, inspectors who fanned out across the county between Oct. 30 and Nov. 5 found 93% of bars, 94% of nightclubs and 100% of lounges in compliance with rules requiring them to verify COVID-19 vaccinations for patrons and employees.
As of Nov. 4, indoor bars, nightclubs, lounges, breweries and distilleries are required to verify that all workers and customers are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The rule previously required verification of only one dose of vaccine.
During that same period, inspectors found lapses in enforcement of the indoor mask-wearing requirement, with only 68% of garment manufacturers, 67% of office sites, 80% of nightclubs, 82% of lounges and 85% of bars in compliance.
``I am grateful the majority of businesses are protecting their employees and customers by following masking and vaccination verification requirements,'' county Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said in a statement Tuesday. ``These high rates of compliance are a testament to collaborations among business operators, employees and customers to follow common sense safety precautions. The more people who are masking up and are vaccinated, the less likely an activity will result in viral transmission and the more likely we will save lives and move forward on our recovery journey.''
The county on Tuesday reported another 11 COVID-19 deaths, raising the overall death toll to 26,762.
Another 1,174 cases were confirmed, giving the county a pandemic total of 1,504,843.
The county's rolling average daily rate of people testing positive for the virus was 1.3% as of Tuesday.
According to state figures, there were 620 COVID-positive patients in county hospitals as of Tuesday, down from 630 on Monday, marking the fourth straight day of slight declines. Of the people hospitalized, 162 were in intensive care, down from 170 on Monday.
About 80% of eligible county residents aged 12 and over have received at least one dose of vaccine, and 72% fully vaccinated. Among all 10.3 million residents in the county, including those not eligible for shots, 69% have received one dose, and 62% are fully vaccinated.