California hospitals to require all visitors to show proof of vaccination

California hospitals will now require visitors to either have been vaccinated against COVID-19 or prove that they've tested negative for the virus. As of Wednesday, all hospital, nursing homed, or intermediate care facilities in California will be held to this standard. This is according to ABC7.

Visitors who are vaccinated must provide their vaccination card or a digital QR code. This order goes into effect as California is also mandating that all healthcare workers be fully vaccinated by September 30. This is a step further from what Governor Gavin Newsom had previously announced.

Previously, healthcare workers were to be given a choice between vaccination or weekly testing. This is no longer the case. The only exception to avoiding vaccination is a religious belief or a medically supported health reason.

"Health care facilities are high-risk settings where COVID-19 outbreaks can have severe consequences for vulnerable populations, including hospitalization, severe illness, and death. By requiring health care workers to be fully vaccinated and visitors to acute care facilities to demonstrate they are fully vaccinated or have tested negative for COVID-19, California is protecting the most vulnerable individuals, while also protecting workers in these settings," the state Department of Public Health said in a press release.

Currently, over 76 percent of eligible Californians are vaccinated.