The health department is basing its decision on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s three-tiered criteria for high, medium or low levels of community COVID-19 rates. Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer expressed concern to reporters Thursday about the new infections, saying “we have a ton of transmission right now” and emphasizing her position on the cover-up. Dr. A.S. Barbara Ferrer, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, at a COVID-19 testing site in 2021. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) “The best way to manage uncertainty and reduce morbidity and mortality is to remain open to using both the sophisticated tools we have now – our tests, our vaccines, our therapeutics – and non-pharmacological strategies – coverage, ventilation and distancing – in layers on protections to respond to existing conditions,” Ferrer said during the briefing. “Reasonable safety precautions that can slow the spread of the virus are warranted, and that includes universal coverage indoors,” he said. Ferrer told the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday and reiterated Thursday that an indoor mask mandate would be imposed unless there is a significant turnaround in current coronavirus hospitalization rates within the next two weeks. This means the order will be in effect until July 29. In order to “reverse course,” Ferrer said the county would have to drop below the “high” level of contamination, but said that was unlikely to happen before the mandate. The last time the region required face coverings was in March. A sign at a store entrance in Los Angeles in July 2021. (Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images) The impending decision will automatically go into effect if the rate of day-patients with COVID-19 admitted to area hospitals remains at or above 10 per 100,000 residents, the CDC’s threshold for the “high” category. Earlier this week, Los Angeles County was seeing a hospitalization rate of about 8.8 per 100,000 residents, which is categorized as a “medium” level. The number of infections and hospital visits has been rising steadily since mid-May. The story continues If the mandate does go into effect, it will expire two weeks later, Ferrer said, but numbers should return to a “medium” rating. “I recognize that when we go back to universal indoor coverage to reduce high prevalence, for many it will feel like a step backwards,” Ferrer said. But he added that the coverage “makes a lot of sense because it helps us reduce risks.” As of July 13, the health department reported there were 6,530 new cases of COVID, 15 new deaths and 1,170 ongoing hospitalizations. A doctor checks on a patient with COVID-19 at Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center in Tarzana, California, in September 2021. (Apu Gomes/AFP via Getty Images) This week, top US health officials issued a warning about new sub-variants of Omicron, but also said the country has the tools to prevent people from becoming seriously ill. This includes vaccines and antiviral treatments. “We know how to manage it,” Dr. Ashish Jha, coordinator of the White House’s response to COVID-19, said in a virtual press briefing. “We can prevent serious diseases. We can save lives and we can minimize disruptions caused by COVID-19.” The BA.5 subvariant accounts for the majority of new COVID cases, 65% in the United States, according to the CDC. But the death rate remains low in Los Angeles, with the number of patients in the intensive care unit around 115, according to figures from the LA Times last updated on Tuesday. Commuters at Union Station on Tuesday in Los Angeles. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) The possibility of a mask mandate in Los Angeles comes months after Philadelphia tried to impose one — and quickly overturned it. Philadelphia officials implemented a mandate in April amid a sharp increase in infections, but there was fierce opposition and even a legal effort to end the mandate, which the city did just days after it was enacted. The city abandoned it, but Philadelphia Health Commissioner Cheryl Bettigole said the city’s response level system and the announcement of an order did their job in getting people to increase their awareness and precautions. The rise was significantly reduced in term week. Ferrer said she understands many will feel overwhelmed by powerful vaccines and therapeutics, but said this is a mutated virus with a lot of uncertainty. In addition, the CDC argues that “Prevention strategies in layers — such as vaccine awareness and mask use — can help prevent serious illness and reduce the potential burden on the health care system.” Merline Jimenez hands out a swab for a COVID-19 test at Los Angeles International Airport in December 2021. (Mario Tama/Getty Images) Ferrer said LA County’s July 29 order will be expanded “to include all indoor spaces, including shared office spaces, manufacturing facilities, retail stores and indoor events. Restaurant and bar interiors, children’s programs and educational spaces should also establish universal indoor coverage. We remind you that masks will not be required for people under 2 years of age and for those using outdoor spaces where the risk of transmission is significantly lower than indoors. Also, masks will not be required indoors for those actively eating or drinking.” Los Angeles health officials also reiterated that the actual number of new infections is not fully reflected in the daily numbers, with many people taking home tests, the results of which are not always reported to the county.
