Support for LAist comes from
Local and national news, NPR, things to do, food recommendations and guides to Los Angeles, Orange County and the Inland Empire
Stay Connected
Listen

Share This

News

You'll Have To Wear A Face Mask When Shopping Anywhere In LA County

People wearing masks leave a supermarket in Washington, DC on April 7, 2020. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
()

Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.

Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now.


You'll need to wear a face mask (or something that covers your nose and mouth) when you shop in any grocery store or pharmacy in Los Angeles County — and stores can refuse you service if you don't. The ordinance, which the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors passed this morning, goes into effect at midnight tonight (i.e. as soon as it becomes April 15).

The city of L.A. passed a similar order early last week and some cities, such as Pasadena, have followed suit. This directive brings some uniformity to the patchwork of face mask rules throughout the 88 cities in L.A. County.

Support for LAist comes from

"We can't step back from protecting those who are essential service workers," says supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, who represents the 2nd District and authored the ordinance. "We need to be there for them like they are there for us. They are basically frontline responders and shouldn't have to put themselves at risk because of working conditions."

Ridley-Thomas confirmed that this new county ordinance would supersede rules imposed by individual cities. "To the extent that it involves health and safety, the county's Public Health Department has jurisdiction," he said.

Under these new rules, grocery stores, pharmacies and food delivery platforms (i.e. the apps you use to order food) must either provide workers with non-medical grade face coverings, gloves and hand sanitizer or give workers money to buy these items. Employees, in turn, must wear face coverings and gloves while at work.

Grocery stores and pharmacies must also install plexiglass barriers at any point-of-sale station staffed by an employee and allow employees to wash their hands at least every 30 minutes.

In addition, grocery stores and pharmacies must provide shopping times dedicated solely for customers age 60 and over. Some stores have already been offering senior shopping hours but the new ordinance makes it a county-wide requirement. (The L.A. City ordinance didn't include this mandate.)

The order requires food delivery platforms to offer "no-contact" delivery options to to its customers, something most apps already do.

It also says grocery stores and pharmacies must allow drivers for food delivery platforms access to their restrooms "for handwashing purposes," another requirement that wasn't in the L.A. City order.

Support for LAist comes from

Food delivery apps must also require workers "to wash or sanitize their hands prior to handling any food for delivery." It's not clear whether that means they have to wash or sanitize their hands before they start their shift or before every delivery. Drivers at most food delivery apps are contract workers who don't clock into a central office so it's unclear how food delivery apps could ensure driver compliance with this regulation.

The ordinance will expire either when California Gov. Gavin Newsom lifts the statewide emergency order or the Board of Supervisors lifts the local emergency order it issued. Both went into effect on March 4, 2020.

READ MORE OF OUR CORONAVIRUS & FOOD COVERAGE:

As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.

Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.

We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.

No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.

Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.

Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.

Chip in now to fund your local journalism
A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right
(
LAist
)

Trending on LAist