LOS ANGELES (AP) – One of the largest vaccination sites in the country was temporarily closed Saturday as dozens of protesters blocked the entrance and hundreds of motorists waiting in line for hours, the Los Angeles Times reported..
The Los Angeles fire department closed the entrance to the vaccination center at Dodger Stadium at about 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 carried signs rejecting the COVID-19 vaccine and telling people not to get the injections.
There were no incidents of violence, the Times said.
“This is all wrong,” said German Jaquez, who drove from his home in La Verne and waited an hour for his vaccination when the stadium gates were closed. He said some protesters told people on the line that the coronavirus is not real and the vaccination is dangerous.
The vaccination site reopened shortly before 3 p.m., the Times reported. The site is usually open from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm
After the reopening, Governor Gavin Newsom tweeted, “We will not be deterred or threatened. Dodger Stadium is active again. “
In a social media post, the demonstration was described as “SCAMDEMIC PROTEST / MARCH”. It advised participants to “please do not wear Trump / MAGA clothing as we want our statement to resonate with the sheep. No flags, just informational signs.
“This is a protest to share information and protest everything against COVID, vaccine, PCR tests, lockdowns, masks, Fauci, Gates, Newsom, China, digital tracking, etc.”