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 The county, home to 10 million people and the nation's
second-largest city, Los Angeles, is one of several jurisdictions to
recommend or mandate wearing masks or other pandemic restrictions in
recent days as cases rise to worrisome levels in many parts of the
United States.
"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," the Los
Angeles County Department of Public Health said on Twitter Thursday.
The mandate will go into effect Saturday night at a minute before
midnight, the agency said.
The announcement follows six straight days of more than 1,000 new
COVID-19 cases reported in Los Angeles County, with nearly 400
people hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Wednesday, up 275 from the
week before. Nine new COVID-19 deaths were reported on Wednesday.
More than 1,500 new infections were reported on Thursday, and the
county has become a place of "substantial" transmission, based on
criteria set by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC), the Los Angeles County health officer, Dr. Muntu Davis, said
in remarks provided to reporters.
Other California counties and other states are also grappling with a
spike in coronavirus cases, led by a mutation of the coronavirus
known as the Delta variant and predominantly affecting people who
are unvaccinated.
Also on Thursday, Sacramento and Fresno Counties in California
recommended that masks be worn indoors even by people who are
vaccinated. Austin, Texas, on Thursday urged people who are not
vaccinated or are otherwise high-risk to avoid travel, indoor
gatherings, dining out and shopping, and to wear masks.
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 Earlier this week, Yolo County
in California also recommended indoor masking,
and in Springfield, Missouri, children and
teachers have been required to wear masks during
summer school.
"Everyone, including those who are vaccinated,
should be aware of high-risk situations
including being indoors, in crowds, and around
unvaccinated and unmasked individuals and
consider wearing a face covering in these
settings,” said Fresno County Public Health
physician Dr. John Zweifler.
Data from the CDC show high levels of coronavirus transmission in
numerous states, including Missouri, Mississippi, Florida, Nevada
and Utah.
Across the country, health officials urged residents who have not
yet done so to become vaccinated. Vaccines are approved and
available for all people as young as 12 years old. In Los Angeles
County, just 0.09% of new cases were among people who had been
vaccinated, officials said.
“Our best protection against COVID-19 continues to be the vaccine,"
said Sacramento County Public Health Officer Olivia Kasirye. "We
urge all eligible residents to get vaccinated in order to protect
themselves, and their family and friends.”
(Reporting by Sharon Bernstein in Sacramento, California; Additional
reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by Aurora Ellis
and Leslie Adler)
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