SafePassLA

If you live in or visit the county of Los Angeles, you should be aware of a vaccine verification program called SafePassLA which requires demonstration of proof of full COVID-19 vaccination for certain indoor locations and outdoor events. Examples of covered indoor locations include (but are not limited to):

• Food & Beverage Establishments (e.g., restaurants, fast food establishments, coffee shops, cafeterias, food courts)
• Gyms & Fitness Venues (e.g., yoga, dance studios, hotel gyms, any facility used for indoor fitness classes)
• Entertainment & Recreation Venues (e.g., shopping centers, movie theaters, bowling alleys, sports arenas, convention centers, museums)
• Personal Care Establishments (e.g., spas, hair/nail salons, barber shops)
• Indoor City Facilities (e.g., city hall, senior centers, recreation centers)

Additionally, for outdoor event venues, events with 5,000 to 9,999 attendees will require proof of vaccination OR a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of entry.

SafePassLA launched yesterday (November 8, 2021) with a focus on outreach and education. Enforcement will begin November 29, 2021. I would not be surprised if enforcement will be spotty, especially with small business owners who may not have the staffing to provide such enforcement, but you should be prepared in case you are asked to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination. Whatever you do, don’t be this guy.

To demonstrate proof of COVID-19 vaccination, you can certainly carry your white Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) vaccination card with you, but there are other options that may be more convenient for you, especially if you carry your cell phone with you everywhere you go. One such option is to take a picture of your CDC vaccination card and store it on your phone. Another option is to use one of several mobile phone apps that provide digital vaccination records as listed here by the LA County Department of Public Health. Approved digital vaccination records are those made by Healthvana, Carbon Health, CommonPass, CLEAR Health Pass, and VaxYes.

I previously wrote about COVID-19 Digital Health Credentials, and I illustrated how you can add your Healthvana COVID-19 vaccination record to Apple Wallet. That will be my preferred method of showing proof of vaccination because it is convenient, and it will work even if I don’t have internet connectivity. As a backup, I already have my COVID-19 vaccination credentials loaded into CLEAR Health Pass, and I also have photo backups of my CDC vaccination card in Google Photos and as attachments in my personal email.