SoFi Stadium Announces Vaxx Requirement Following LA County's Ruling

On Saturday, SoFi Stadium, primary home of the Los Angeles Rams and interim venue for the Chargers, updated their COVID vaccine mandate after LA County transitioned to New York City's rigid strategy of mandatory proof of vaccination.

Tweeted by the official LA Rams account:

"Beginning Oct. 24, the Rams will require fans provide proof of vaccination or receive a negative COVID-19 test result within 72 hours of gameday to attend home games."

Week One's Sunday Night Football matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and the Chicago Bears became the first opportunity for in-person crowds to fill SoFi Stadium for a regular season game. The game's broadcast highlighted the opulent new stadium — which was surely an inspiration for the Rams' 34-14 victory.

At the start of the 2020 NFL season, LA County restricted all types of mass gathering, both indoor and outdoor. Despite aiming to welcome fans in 2020 — shortly after the completion of Stan Kroenke's $5.5 billion stadium — doors were ultimately forced to stay shut for fans last season based on the County's guidelines.

The team held several fan events to celebrate the venue's debut and welcoming of new quarterback Matthew Stafford, which welcomed tens of thousands of fans over the offseason. SoFi will now indefinitely require attendees to bring proof of vaccination to attend any of its games and events — which includes the upcoming Super Bowl.

The news is also sobering for those of us that enjoyed the filmed fan brawls from SoFi Stadium. Once again, the LA football teams remain under the thumb of the County's strict COVID guidelines.

According to the Rams' official website announcement:

Fans must present:

"Fans who are not yet vaccinated, have only received one dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or are not yet beyond the two-week minimum fully-vaccinated window, must still provide a negative COVID-19 test for entry.

For pre-entry negative COVID-19 testing within 72 hours of the event start time, both PCR and antigen tests are acceptable. Fans must present a printed document from the test provider OR laboratory OR an email or text message displayed on a phone from the test provider or laboratory. The information should include their name, type of test performed and negative test result (date of test must be within prior 72 hours of event start time).

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