COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths continue to trend downward in Los Angeles County, prompting many residents to wonder if indoor mask mandates will soon be lifted.
On September 27 the county’s seven-day daily case average was 1,050 news cases, a decrease of more than 57 percent from more than one month before. During the same time period, hospitalizations and deaths also declined by about 45 percent, according to the L.A. County Department of Public Health.
“When we have very low transmission & more ppl vaccinated it doesn't necessarily make sense to keep that mask mandate everywhere,” Director of Public Health, Barbara Ferrer said.
But Ferrer added that variants of the virus are still a concern - and are a factor in the county’s decision over mask mandates.
“While the declines are promising,” the county said in a statement. “[L.A. County] continues to see, on average, 14 deaths a day, a particular tragedy because so many of them could have been prevented by vaccination.”
Ferrer said she expects the indoor mask mandate to stay in place for a while longer, especially in schools - since children under age 12 are not yet eligible for vaccinations.
Latest data shared by the department showed a total of more than 1.4 million coronavirus cases and more than 26,000 virus-related deaths in L.A. County to date.
Multiple COVID-related requirements are now impacting L.A. County residents and workers, including:
- Proof of vaccination status or negative test result at all indoor events with more than 1,000 attendees (as of Sept. 20)
- Requirement for healthcare and homecare workers to be fully vaccinated (Sept. 30 deadline)
- County and city employees must be fully vaccinated (Oct. 5 deadline)
Tomorrow the county will begin to require proof of full vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test to enter outdoor “mega events.”
In addition, proof of at least one vaccine dose will be required to enter or work in indoor portions of bars, nightclubs, wineries, breweries and distilleries in L.A. County.
On Nov. 4, bars and similar establishments throughout the county will be required to verify full vaccination of all customers and employees before they are allowed to enter indoor portions of the business.
To help businesses through all of the changes, Public Health created toolkits that are available online.
“Public Health encourages everyone unvaccinated for COVID-19 to get vaccinated ahead of time to be fully protected for the holidays,” the department said.
Visit vaccinatelacounty.com and vacuntelosangeles.com to find a vaccination site near you.
