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The Abbey in WeHo requiring proof of vaccine or negative COVID test
The Abbey Food & Bar in West Hollywood is now requiring patrons to provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test within the last 48 hours for entry.
WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. - The Abbey Food & Bar in West Hollywood is now requiring patrons to provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test within the last 48 hours for entry.
The famed LGBTQ+ establishment said that since the pandemic began, its staff "has been repeatedly screamed at, spit on, slapped and punched by angry customers for enforcing safety protocols."
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"If you have a problem with our policy, please just go somewhere else, like to the nearest vaccination site," the company wrote on its Facebook page.
The Abbey wrote in its post that the decision was made in order to protect its staff and customers.
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The Abbey in WeHo holds countdown celebration event, marking California's June 15 reopening
The Abbey Food & Bar in West Hollywood held a countdown celebration event at midnight to mark California's June 15 reopening and the end of COVID-19 restrictions.
The news comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that even vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where the delta variant is fueling infection surges, which includes Los Angeles County. Los Angeles County reinstated its indoor mask mandate, regardless of vaccination status, on July 17.
RELATED: New CDC mask guidelines: Vaccinated should mask indoors, as should K-12 schools
COVID-19 infection numbers have been rising steadily in recent weeks, a rise being blamed on continued spread of the delta variant of the virus, which is considered vastly more contagious than other COVID mutations. The variant, which was responsible for wide-scale infections in India and parts of the United Kingdom, has been spreading domestically. Los Angeles County health officials said the delta variant has been increasing in prevalence since April.
RELATED: COVID-19 delta variant as contagious as chickenpox, CDC internal docs warn
New evidence shows that the delta variant is as contagious as chickenpox and may be more dangerous than previous strains of the virus, according to internal documents from the CDC. The documents were obtained by The Washington Post. As they note, COVID-19 vaccines are still highly effective against the delta variant at preventing serious illness and death.
CDC officials say more data is coming. They are tracking breakthrough cases as part of much larger studies that involve following tens of thousands of vaccinated and unvaccinated people across the country over time.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.