The Los Angeles County Department of Health announced that once L.A. County enters a post surge phase, meaning COVID-19 daily hospitalization rates drop below 2,500 for seven consecutive days, masks will no longer be required in outdoor spaces at outdoor mega events. Masks will also not be required in outdoor spaces at childcare facilities and K-12 schools. The mask mandate will continue for indoor establishments until the following happens:
- Los Angeles County has a Moderate transmission rate or less as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where no more than 10-49.99 new cases per 100,000 individuals are present in the past seven days for two consecutive weeks.
- Vaccines have been available for children younger than 5 years of age for eight consecutive weeks.
- No new rapidly spreading variants of COVID-19 that cause concern over threats to the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines have been reported.
California regulations state that wearing a mask indoors at K-12 schools, childcare facilities, youth settings, healthcare settings, correctional facilities, homeless and emergency shelters, and cooling centers is still required at this time. Federal regulations state that wearing a mask while using public transit and transportation is still required at this time too. Employers must also continue to provide high quality masks that fit properly to employees who are in close contact with other individuals until transmission rates are lower. Vaccination verification will remain a requirement at mega events, and indoor sections of bars, lounges, nightclubs, wineries, breweries, and distilleries.
Please note that post surge means COVID-19 transmission rates are becoming more stable, and are declining consistently from the surge peak and realigning with the Department of Health’s current public health response that meets current mitigation needs. It does not mean the pandemic is over, nor that transmission is low or there will be no additional unpredictable waves of surges in the future that require integrated public health measures.
With the current levels of transmission, the safest course of action for everyone is self-protection, and adding multiple layers of protection for essential workers including testing, vaccinations, infection control, and wearing a mask. Lastly, being cautious and doing everything possible to lower the high rate of transmission remains a necessary goal for the community as Los Angeles County continues striving to move in the right direction.
For more information on the Los Angeles County Department of Health mask mandates and COVID-19 vaccinations, please visit the following websites:
For mask guidance: English webpage | Página web en español
For COVID-19 vaccinations: English webpage | Página web en español
For additional important information and resources, please visit the Los Angeles County Department of Health website at http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/