The Los Angeles Fire Department has temporarily closed the entrance to the Dodger Stadium vaccination center for 55 minutes on Saturday, Andrea Garcia, a spokeswoman for Mayor Eric Garcetti, told CNN on Monday.
The subsidiary’s video showed one sign that read: “LA Better Dodge The Vaxxx”; another reads “Covid = Scam.”
Los Angeles police spokesman Drake Madison told CNN the protesters were “anti-vaxxers”. The rally was peaceful and no arrests were made, he said.
The protesters may have caused the gates to be locked out of caution by the authorities, but they did not prevent people from being vaccinated during that time, Garcia told CNN. No appointments were canceled.
“The city is reviewing the vaccine’s safety protocol and will set up a protest area in case of future protests,” Garcia said in an email.
Dodger Stadium is one of the largest vaccination sites in the country. According to Garcetti, the site is capable of vaccinating 12,000 people each day, he said the night before the site opened.
“Everyone we met there and had an appointment was accommodated,” Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey told CNN on Monday.
The vaccination process was emotional, he said.
“It’s not just a physical toll, but also an emotional toll on us,” Humphrey said. “It’s a very moving moment for a lot of these people to get vaccinated. Maybe they lost their parents or something like you know, and they cry and give them an injection. We do it every thousands of times every day. ‘
Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman David Ortiz said Saturday the vaccine program is a joint effort between the mayor’s office and the fire department. Vaccinations for vaccines last from 08:00 to 20:00 and more appointments are offered as soon as we receive another vaccination award, he said.
CNN’s Claudia Dominguez and Braden Walker contributed to this report.