LOS ANGELES (KNX) — Los Angeles County hit its second day in a row with fewer than 2,500 people hospitalized with COVID-19 Friday, giving some hope that the county mask mandate could soon be less restrictive.
The county reported 5,610 cases, 75 deaths and 2,307 COVID hospitalizations, continuing a downtrend of at least COVID positive hospitalizations since Feb. 5.
Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the state would lift the indoor mask requirement for all vaccinated residents.
However, he explained that Californians living in counties with local mask mandates, like L.A. County, would still be required to mask up if health officials deemed it unsafe to lift the requirement.
Speaking on Feb. 4, Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer said the county already has a plan in place for reducing mask policies, but that the Angelenos have not quite met the requirements.
In order to loosen restrictions, the health officials said they would need to see hospitalizations drop below 2,500 for seven consecutive days in L.A. County. A milestone that has not yet been met.
To date, the county has reported the following COVID hospitalization numbers:
- Feb. 5: 3,012
- Feb. 6: 2,841
- Feb. 7: 2,773
- Feb. 8: 2,702
- Feb. 9: 2,597
- Feb. 10: 2,467
- Feb. 11: 2,307
Once L.A. County hits the seven consecutive days below 2,500, Ferrer said L.A. County would be considered "post-surge" and could remove the mask mandate for outdoor mega events and outdoor spaces at schools.
If the downward trend continues, that day could be as soon as next week.
However, "post-surge" in L.A. County would not change the indoor mask requirement, Ferrer said, explaining that masking while in indoor settings would still be required.
