As coronavirus cases increase significantly among the unvaccinated, Los Angeles County has restored a mask requirement for indoor public spaces.
LA County is the first California health agency to reinstate the use of masks in public facilities – a recognition of the surge in cases over the past week.
Here are the basic details:
Does this mandate apply to everyone?
Yes, it will soon be compulsory to wear a mask in public indoor spaces, regardless of whether or not you have been vaccinated.
Officials emphasize that vaccines offer strong protection against COVID-19 infections, even the aggressive Delta variant.
The majority of new cases are among those that have not been vaccinated. Between December 7 and June 7, the unvaccinated accounted for 99.6% of coronavirus cases in LA County, 98.7% of COVID-19 hospital admissions and 99.8% of deaths.
But officials suspect that unvaccinated people despite one long-term order that they continue to do so in many places.
As a result, officials hope the new regulation will result in everyone wearing masks indoors – which will slow the spread of the virus.
When does it take effect?
The new health ordinance goes into effect on Saturday at 11:59 p.m. across Los Angeles County, with the exception of Long Beach and Pasadena, which have their own health departments.
Both cities have already recommended that everyone, regardless of vaccination status, wear masks in public indoor spaces. Sacramento and Yolo counties have also made the same recommendation.
What is covered
It affects indoor public spaces such as theaters, shops, public venues and shopping centers. The mask rules are essentially reverting to what they were before the county repealed before the reopening on the 15th. At that time, some retailers dropped their mask rules.
How about some indoor dining?
The arrangement will still allow indoor restaurants to operate, but will require people to keep their masks on while they order and wait for food.
Does the order reduce business capacity?
No. The order does not require a legal limitation or a return to mandatory physical distancing.
Why does LA County act?
LA County has seen a sharp surge in coronavirus cases recently. During the week-long period that ended Wednesday, the county reported an average of 1,077 new cases each day – a 261% increase from two weeks earlier, according to data compiled by The Times. Officials reported 1,537 more cases on Thursday.
A spike in cases, combined with the presence of the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus, was behind LA County’s late June requirement that all residents wear masks in public indoor spaces. But conditions have worsened since then.
For the past few days, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has rated LA County as “significant” coronavirus transmission in the community, the second worst on a four-category scale.
Where do we stand with vaccinations?
Times data shows that 51.8% of all Californians are fully vaccinated to date, although large regional differences persist.
In San Diego County it is 57%; in Orange County, 54.7%; and in LA County 52.2%.
Rates are much lower in Riverside County (42.1%) and San Bernardino County (39.2%).
But all of these counties, as well as the state as a whole, do not have the necessary vaccination to achieve “herd immunity” against the coronavirus – if the continued transmission of the virus is interrupted. Estimates for this threshold are generally between 70% and 85%.
And given how much the rate of vaccination has slowed, it may take months to reach these levels in some of the most populous counties in the state – if they ever do.
In contrast, the San Francisco Bay Area did much better with vaccinations. San Francisco reported that 68.9% of its residents are fully vaccinated; In Santa Clara County, Northern California’s most populous, 67.4% of the population is fully vaccinated. These counties have reported relatively stable hospital admission rates so far, unlike Southern California, where hospital admissions have increased.
Will it work?
We will see.
LA County Health Officer Dr. Muntu Davis, cited universal indoor masking as one of the most effective ways to contain the spread of the virus without disrupting operations in businesses and venues – most of which were able to lift coronavirus-related restrictions a month ago.
However, he acknowledged that further intervention might be needed if conditions worsen.
“If it gets worse, everything is on the table, so let’s act now,” he said. “We’re not where we need to be for the millions of contagion here in Los Angeles County, and waiting to do something will be too late given what we see now.”
