With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
LA’s Proposed Mask Mandate Scrapped As COVID Cases Dip
(
Chava Sanchez/Laist
)
Los Angeles County health officials won’t reinstate an indoor public mask mandate. Local data show that L.A. is right on the cusp of the federal government’s “medium” COVID risk level, and Public Health officials say cases and hospitalizations have dipped enough to avoid more mask rules.
“Rather than, you know, moving people back and forth, I think, given the data that I shared today, it's a sensible place for us to not…implement that universal indoor masking,” said county public health director Barbara Ferrer at a press conference Thursday.
The decision avoids a patchwork of confusing mask rules across the county.
City councils in El Segundo and Beverly Hills voted this week not to enforce an indoor public mask mandate if it was implemented by county health officials. The cities of Pasadena and Long Beach, which operate their own public health departments separate from L.A. County, also announced they would not issue mask mandates.
Support for LAist comes from
“Given the declines in case and hospitalization numbers, we're hopeful that the admission rate over the next few days remains under 10 new admissions per 100,000 residents and LA County is soon officially moved by CDC to the medium community level,” Ferrer said.
L.A. County has been in the CDC’s "high" community level since July 14, but Ferrer said that given the drop in cases and hospitalizations, that would likely change either Thursday or in a week. The CDC recategorizes counties every Thursday.
Cases and hospitalizations have dipped since mid July, 2022.
(
Courtesy of the L.A. County Public Health Dept.
)
The number of Angelenos testing positive COVID infection and those hospitalized with COVID have decreased in the past week and half, but still more than 1,200 COVID positive people are hospitalized.
Public Health reported more than 7,000 new cases Thursday, and the county’s positivity rate remains above 16%.
Face masks are still strongly encouraged, especially indoors as transmission remains high, Ferrer said.
Support for LAist comes from
Masks are required in high-risk places such as on public transportation; in emergency shelters; in doctor’s offices and hospitals; in homeless shelters and prisons; and in long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes.
More timely L.A. data reflects lower hospitalizations.
(
Courtesy of the L.A. County Public Health Dept.
)
Infectious disease experts blame the new omicron double act of BA.4 and BA.5 for the latest surge that may now be subsiding. These two mutated forms are technically subvariants of omicron and now make up 81% of L.A.'s known new cases as of July 9, the most recent data available.
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
What do stairs have to do with California’s housing crisis? More than you might think, says this Culver City councilmember. -
Yes, it's controversial, but let me explain. -
Doctors say administrator directives allow immigration agents to interfere in medical decisions and compromise medical care. -
The Palisades Fire erupted on Jan. 7 and went on to kill 12 people and destroy more than 6,800 homes and buildings. -
People moving to Los Angeles are regularly baffled by the region’s refrigerator-less apartments. They’ll soon be a thing of the past. -
Experts say students shouldn't readily forgo federal aid. But a California-only program may be a good alternative in some cases.
Best of LAist