LA to require proof of vaccine or negative test to attend OUTDOOR Super Bowl victory rally

Fans looking to attend the Rams’ Super Bowl Championship parade today must show proof of vaccination or a negative test to attend the rally at the end of the parade route.

The roughly one-mile parade will begin at around 11 am local time, at the Shrine Auditorium on West Jefferson Boulevard, according to Fox 11.

The parade route travels down Figueroa Street before turning onto Exposition Park Drive, ending at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum at around 11:45 am. The festivities will continue with a rally being held at the Coliseum’s Olympic Plaza and Peristyle Arch from noon to 1 pm.

Fans looking to attend the outdoor rally must show proof of full vaccination or a negative antigen test within 24 hours of the event, or a negative PCR test within 48 hours of the rally, according to Fox 11.

The rules follow in step with those put in place for the Super Bowl, where fans were issued the same requirements, with the addition of being required to wear a mask at all times unless actively eating or drinking.

This requirement though didn’t stop celebrities from appearing maskless in their private boxes high above the field, with people like LeBron James, Ellen DeGeneres, and Charlize Theron all being seen without their required masks, and surrounded by other maskless people int these boxes.

LA Mayor Eric Garcetti was also seen maskless once again at the SoFi Stadium where Sunday’s game took place, just days after he had previously been seen maskless in a photo with NBA legend Magic Johnson.

When pressed about the first maskless appearance, Garcetti said that he held his breath during the photo-op.

"I wore my mask the entire game, and when people ask for a photograph, I hold my breath and I put it here and people can see that," Garcetti said, referring to his mask in his hand. "There's a zero percent chance of infection from that," he continued. "I put my mask right back on ... to make sure that there is no spread. And I think that we should all follow that advice until we're out of this period."

Also seen maskless recently was California Teachers Association Board of Directors Member Jesse Aguilar, who took a celebratory photo at the NFC championship game. This was the same group that recently said, even after the vast number of maskless people attending the Super Bowl, that children in schools must remained masked for the foreseeable future.

In LA, the vaccine mandate applies to most indoor spaces, as well as outdoor mega events, defined as outdoor events between 5,000 and 9,999 attendees. Outdoor large events, according to the city’s protocols, also allow for proof of a negative test to enter these events.

With the rally being held outdoors at the Coliseum, and with many expected to attend, the rally would fall under these outdoor mega event policies.

Those standing alongside the outdoor parade route though will not be required to show proof of vaccination, and appear to not be required to wear masks.

Shira Shafir, an associate professor of epidemiology and community health science at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, told the LA Times that because the parade is outdoors, "we know that it’s a lower-risk event. But we also anticipate that there’s a chance that people could be in fairly close proximity."

"Six feet of distancing really applies to people as they’re breathing normally," Shafir added. If people are shouting and singing, "breath is being exhaled more forcefully, which then necessitates greater distance between individuals."

She added that those who have yet to get the booster shot, are immunocompromised or live with someone that is, or have children at home that are too young to be vaccinated, "it’s probably a good idea to either wear an upgraded mask ... or just stay home and watch it on TV if possible."

"If someone is immunocompromised, it’s probably not a great time to be going to a very crowded event, even one that’s outdoors," Shafir said.