Long Beach soon requiring proof of vaccination inside bars, breweries and wineries

LONG BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- If you enjoy going out in Long Beach, you may soon see some changes coming to your favorite places.

The city of Long Beach is following Los Angeles County in requiring people to show proof of vaccination to go to indoor bars, wineries, breweries and distilleries.

You will be required to show proof that you've gotten your first dose of the vaccine by Oct. 7 and your second dose by Nov. 4. City officials say they'll issue a new health order by Friday to give people time to adjust.

Proof of vaccination is not required for restaurants, but the Long Beach Health Department is recommending they do the same.

For the Long Beach Tap House, they've been open for two years and have been through ups and downs during the pandemic.

"Forced to do takeout only, forced to do outdoor seating only, battling back and forth with the city to keep our parklet outside, stuff like that. Losing staff members, gaining staff members, being understaffed, it's just been very difficult," Brandon Forsberg, the co-owner of Long Beach Tap House said.

Forsberg says business has been slow even though restrictions were rolled back.

A statement by the city of Long Beach Health and Human Services Department stated, "Data show that those who are 18-34 years old are least likely to be vaccinated and are being infected at higher rates than other age groups."

Many people who are in that age range frequent Long Beach's indoor bars, wineries, breweries and distilleries.

Sarah Parish, a Long Beach resident, says she's unsure if people will follow the new guidance of showing proof of vaccination.

"When they reinstated the mask mandate it was already such an issue with so many customers, so many people already giving us a hard time just to ask them to wear a mask throughout the restaurant," Parish said.

Although some businesses are short staffed, they will have to come up with a way to check vaccination cards.

"With this I'll definitely have to staff up a little more just to make sure that we're ready to check vaccination cards and to follow the regulations of the city," Forsberg added.

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