Considered by many to be California’s crown jewel of concerts and sporting events, the Los Angeles’ Forum is, for the time being, being repurposed as a COVID-19 vaccination site.
According to officials, the move was made in hopes of eventually vaccinating 4,000+ people per day beginning Tuesday, January 19th. Kevin McGowan, the director of L.A. County’s Office of Emergency Management, said that the arena was chosen due to its location to draw people from across the state as well as closer access to Inglewood, where 10,557 people have tested positive since the beginning of the pandemic.
The Forum will begin offering vaccines this week by appointment from 9 AM to 3:30 AM, though only frontline healthcare workers and residents at nursing and other long-term care facilities are currently eligible. The venue will continue to offer testing, unlike Dodger Stadium, which has also been converted to a mass vaccination site, but has stopped testing operations.
With the live music sector of the entertainment industry shut down since March 2020, many artists and behind-the-scenes employees have been out of work for ten months. The development and implementation of vaccine protocols signifies a possible quick return to concerts, making it safe for people to gather in large groups. The widespread availability of the injected medication is a much needed “shot in the arm” for those who want to get back to work and attend shows and sporting events.
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