LA DROPS plans closed mask mandate after cities revolt and Covid rates ‘stabilize’

Los Angeles County has suspended plans to restore a universal mandate for in-home masks as the Covid wave wanes and hospital admissions stabilize, the city’s medical director said on Thursday.

Health Director Barbara Ferrer warned two weeks ago that the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health may reintroduce the face coverage requirement if trends in admissions continue, according to criteria set by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But yesterday, at its much-anticipated weekly public health briefing, it announced that the nation’s most populous county was avoiding the need to reset its general mask rule.

“We’re in decline right now, and it’s hard for us to imagine reintroducing universal internal masking while we’re in this significant decline,” Ferrer said.

The decision was made after the daily number of cases in Los Angeles County fell 30% over a two-week period, down from around 6,000 cases per day to 4,169 per day, determining whether to fulfill the order. Deaths in Southern California County also halved, from eight to four per day.

While Beverley Hills, Pasadena, El Segundo, and Long Beach all claimed they would not enforce the rule, the county would see a riot if their citizens tried to wear masks indoors again.

Cases and deaths across the country have fallen in recent weeks as America has avoided what many have warned of a major summer surge triggered by the emerging BA. After significant bearish changes in mid-July, US cases and deaths stabilized at 131,478 and 417 per day, respectively.

The decision came as the county’s community displacement level remains at the CDC’s “high” but was expected to drop to “average” in the coming weeks, based on the latest Covid data.

County guidelines require Los Angeles County to restore an internal mask requirement for all enclosed public spaces if they reach “high” COVID-19 risk levels for at least 14 consecutive days, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) statistics.

On July 14, the city reached a high level of contamination, raising concerns that it will be the first city to restore masks to combat the BA.

Since then, a sharp turn in the Covid situation has rescued Angelenos. The numbers, updated Thursday night, put the state back in the “medium” Covid risk zone.

Had orders been placed, it is likely that some parts of the state would choose not to participate in larger orders.

“My municipal colleagues and I believe that the decision to wear a mask should be an individual choice, not imposed by Los Angeles County,” said Mayor Drew Boyles of the southern US city of El Segundo. Santa Monica Bay. statement before the announcement.

Ferrer said the broadcast has been falling steadily since July 23, indicating steady and falling data. Hospital admissions also declined, “perhaps the beginning of a downward trend in cases”.

However, he warned that the situation is under constant surveillance and could be re-examined if relocations and admissions are changed.

Ferrer reminded residents that while not mandatory, face masks are still an effective and recommended tool to limit the spread of Covid.

Face masks remain mandatory in certain indoor areas, including healthcare facilities, subways and buses, airports, prisons and homeless shelters.

If the new requirements came into effect, face masks would have to be worn at all times in all closed public spaces, including shared offices, manufacturing facilities, warehouses, shops, restaurants and bars, theaters and schools.

Two people pictured with face masks at Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, California, in May 2020

Beverly Hills’ Democratic Mayor, Lili Bosse, told Fox and Friends yesterday that she will ignore her hometown masquerade orders.

He had previously dismissed the possibility of enforcing an internal mask requirement, and the council led by him unanimously voted not to allocate funds.

Beverly Hills Democratic Mayor Lili Bosse (pictured) told Fox & Friends that her hometown will not enforce a closed mask order if Los Angeles County enforces it.

Long Beach and Pasadena, which are located in Los Angeles County but have their own health departments, also said they would not implement the mandate.

‘ [Long Beach] The Ministry of Health strongly encourages people to take personal responsibility and common sense measures to protect themselves, their loved ones and the community in general from Covid-19,” reads the Long Beach statement.

“People are advised to dress indoors in public, take quick tests before and three to five days after social gatherings, and choose outdoor activities whenever possible.”

Los Angeles County Superintendent Kathryn Barger said she was pleased with Ferrer’s statement that “non-enforceable powers don’t work.”

“Hopefully we can now move from the increased focus on masking imperatives to increase the efficacy of vaccines and boosters, improve access to COVID-19 treatments, and continue masking,” Barger said in a statement on Thursday.

“I feel comfortable putting that decision in the very talented hands of the audience.”

The BA.5 variant has caused an increase in Covid cases in many parts of America. Some experts even feared that it would trigger a summer surge similar to the one that hit the United States in both 2020 and 2021.

It is feared by health officials that it is the most contagious version of the virus that has emerged in the United States so far.

It also evades immunity and may bypass the protection a person might have had against a previous Covid infection. Experts believe that a person can become reinfected with BA.5 within weeks of recovering from another version of the Omicron variant.

This is a potentially disturbing prospect that has changed many people’s understanding of the pandemic.

BA.5 has grown rapidly in prevalence in the United States and now accounts for approximately four out of five cases in the United States.

Although the number of cases increased in the first half of July, the full increase has not yet occurred. America will likely have weathered the storm, while major cities like Los Angeles and New York have seen cases stagnate and fall.