LOS ANGELES (KNX) — Most California counties have planned to adhere to state guidelines to end indoor masking requirements for vaccinated residents as early as next week. But Los Angeles County health officials said Thursday that indoor masking requirements locally were likely to stay in place through at least next month.
L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said the decision to maintain the mandate was based on an analysis of new COVID-19 case projections. The requirement would remain until the county has had two straight weeks at or below a rate of 50 new cases per 100,000. The current rate is 91 per 100,000 people.
Lifting the mandate would also depend on no emergence of any new variants of COVID-19.
“So if everything goes well, some time by the end of March we should be able to more safely lift the requirements on indoor masking,” Ferrer said on Thursday.
Ferrer added there were no immediate plans for lifting requirements for showing proof of vaccination at bars and other nightlife establishments, or at indoor “mega events” with more than 1,000 attendees.
“We know we’re not lifting them anytime soon,” Ferrer said.
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