LOS ANGELES (AP) – One of the largest vaccination rooms in the country was temporarily closed on Saturday because dozens of protesters blocked the entrance, stopping hundreds of motorists who had been waiting in line for hours, the Los Angeles Times reported..
The Los Angeles Fire Department has closed the entrance to the vaccination center at Dodger Stadium around 2 p.m. as a precaution, officials told the newspaper.
The protesters had members of anti-vaccine and far-right groups, the Times reported. Some of them had signs that the COVID-19 vaccine had been chopped off and shouted at people not to get the shots.
There were no incidents of violence, the Times said.
“It’s completely wrong,” said German Jaquez, who was driving from his home in La Verne and waiting an hour for his vaccination when the stadium’s gates were locked. He said some of the protesters told people in line that the coronavirus was not real and that the vaccination was dangerous.
The vaccination site will reopen shortly before 3 p.m., the Times reported. The website is usually open from 08:00 to 20:00
After reopening, Governor Gavin Newsom tweeted: “We will not be deterred or threatened. Dodger Stadium is up and running again. ”
In a post on social media, the demonstration is described as the “SCAMDEMIC PROTEST / MARCH.” This advised the participants to ‘please not wear Trump / MAGA attire, as we want our statement to resonate with the sheep. No flags, but only information signs.
“It’s an exchange information and march against everything COVID, vaccination, PCR tests, Lockdowns, masks, Fauci, Gates, Newsom, China, digital detection, etc.”