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Health Care Workers No Longer Have To Mask In LA County
Health care workers in LA County will no longer be required to wear a protective mask starting Aug. 11, although providers have the option to keep masking requirements in place.
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Patrick T. Fallon
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AFP via Getty Images
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Topline:
Starting Aug. 11, health workers in Los Angeles County are no longer required to wear masks when treating patients or working in patient care areas. The order from the L.A. County Health Officer has officially been rescinded.
You may still see masks: Individual health care facilities may maintain a masking policy.
It follows another rule change: Los Angeles County rescinded its vaccine order after the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services lifted vaccine requirements for health care workers on Aug. 5.
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What should I do if I'm immunocompromised? Plenty of people who need to go to the doctor for medical care are at high risk of contracting COVID. Public Health recommends staying up to date on your COVID vaccines (another is coming this fall) and wearing a well-fitting respirator. No one can be prohibited from wearing a mask in any setting in California. Call your doctor’s office and ask about their mask policy — they may keep one in place. And if all else fails, ask the person you’re interacting with to mask up.
What's going on with COVID? Wastewater samples show more people are getting sick again, after a lull in July. Emergency rooms and hospitals are reporting more patients testing positive. The uptick is still well below last winter’s surge.
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