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.
‘We're Losing Our Freedom Because They Want Their Freedom’: Business Owners Deflated By Return Of Indoor Masks
Face masks will once again be mandatory indoors in L.A. County.
(
Kojo Kwarteng
/
Unsplash
)
Put away your lipstick and mustache wax, at least if you have to run errands or plan to grab a bite out in Los Angeles County. Masks are back, indoors at least.
The rising number of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths — chiefly among the unvaccinated — has moved the Department of Public Health to require everyone to wear masks indoors, even if you’re fully vaccinated. The change goes into effect just before midnight Saturday.
Wearing a mask indoors with others reduces the risk of both getting & transmitting the virus. We’re requiring masking for everyone while indoors at public settings & businesses, regardless of vaccination status so that we can stop the increased level of transmission we're seeing. pic.twitter.com/xmr77qsmBv
— LA Public Health (@lapublichealth) July 15, 2021
The previous rule, asking unvaccinated people to mask up in public, has so far been self-enforced. Now, health officials aren’t taking any chances.
Sponsored message
More than 1,900 new coronavirus cases in the county were announced Friday. That number has gone up every day for the past week. And a month after the state’s June 15 reopening, which included the phasing out of face coverings, officials say the case positivity rate is reaching “substantial” transmission levels again.
Meanwhile, local business owners are having a sad déjà vu.
Larry and Kathleen Ross own Blast From The Past, a comic book and collectable store in Burbank. Both fully vaccinated, they are understanding of the circumstances, but frustrated by the reinstatement of masks for everyone.
Larry Ross said he gets why the mask rule has returned, but he feels like it’s a step back.
“I'm very disappointed to have to go and re-mask,” he said. “So, I'm feeling some significant anger towards those who are refusing to vaccinate.”
Kathleen Ross echoed the frustration. “I'm feeling like we're losing our freedom because they want their freedom,” she said, referring to those who refuse vaccines and masks. She added that while about half their customers never stopped wearing masks, she suspects it will be harder to get customers to comply now that they’ve been able to be without a face covering for a month.
Edward Ackah-Miezah owns Cafe Ruisseau with locations in Santa Monica and Playa Vista. He said he’ll follow whatever public health officials recommend, but that he feels deflated.
Sponsored message
“We just recently got back to being able to see each other's faces and feel a little bit of a connection in that way, but I think people have only really been comfortable doing that in the last couple of weeks,” Ackah-Miezah said. “Now we're going to go back to wearing masks, which is discouraging as staff, but also discouraging for customers as well. It just feels like we're going backwards.”
Gym owner Gina Baski said while public safety is paramount, the financial stakes are pretty high for the fitness industry.
She owns TriFit Club & Studios in Santa Monica and said that some customers have already mentioned they’ll go work out in Orange County instead, where they don’t have to wear masks while exercising indoors.
“We are going to have another wave of cancellations in our membership due to the mask mandate,” she said.
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.
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.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
