LOS ANGELES (KNX) — Los Angeles County’s outdoor mask requirement will be lifted by Wednesday, with officials citing a dip in the number of local hospitalizations due to COVID-19.
According to state data, there were 2,054 patients with COVID-19 in county hospitals on Monday, down from 2,086 on Sunday. The number of those patients in ICUs was 437, down from 439 on Sunday.
Under guidelines announced earlier this month by L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer, if hospitalizations stay under 2,500 for seven consecutive days, the county would lift its mask mandate for so-called outdoor “mega-events,” as well as at schools and childcare facilities. Monday was the fifth day of under 2,500 hospitalizations reported.
Despite the drop in hospitalizations, Ferrer is still pushing for locals to get vaccinated and boosted against the virus.
"We are once again at a pivotal point in our recovery journey where we don't have the luxury of ignoring our individual and collective responsibilities,'' Ferrer said in a statement on Monday. "Given where we are, and the continued risk in under-resourced communities, we need to use sensible safety protections that help us drive down transmission of this dangerous virus.”
While the outdoor mask requirement is going to be lifted this week, indoor masking was going to remain in place until further goalposts are met. The county’s criteria are stricter than the state’s, which is planning to lift its indoor mask requirement for vaccinated people by end of day on Tuesday.
Ferrer initially said L.A. County’s indoor mask requirement will not be lifted until the local transmission rate for COVID-19 falls to “moderate” levels as defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control for two straight weeks, or until COVID-19 vaccines have been available to children under five years old for at least eight weeks.
“Moderate” levels mean the county must have a cumulative, week-long new case rate of less than 50 per 100,000 residents. According to the CDC, L.A. County’s rate was about 459 per 100,000 residents on Monday.
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