New County Order Lifts Mask Mandates for Most Indoor Settings

[March 3, 2022, LA County Department of Public Health Update]

The Los Angeles County Responding Together at Work and In the Community - Post Winter Surge Community Monitoring and Continued Response Measures Health Officer Order has been updated (Issued Thursday, March 3, 2022. Effective at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, March 4, 2022).  Changes are highlighted in yellow on the document:

• Revised to align with the February 28, 2022 State Public Health Officer Guidance on Masking.

• After March 11, the universal masking requirement of K-12 Schools and Childcare settings will terminate. Both CDPH and County Public Health continue to strongly recommend that individuals in these settings continue to mask while indoors until transmission rates are much lower.

• Masks continue to be required for indoor settings with higher risks for transmission: Public Transit, Transportation Hubs, All Healthcare Settings, including Long Term Care and Adult and Senior Care Facilities, Correctional Facilities and Detention Centers, Homeless Shelters, and Emergency Shelters.

• Masks are strongly recommended, but not required, for all persons, regardless of vaccine status, in other indoor public settings and businesses. Well-fitting medical masks or respirators (e.g., N95s, KN95s, and KF94s) are highly recommended.

• In settings where masks are strongly recommended, businesses, venue operators, and hosts may choose to require masking, regardless of vaccination status, by patrons, visitors, attendees, and workers as a strategy to reduce the risk of transmission at their site(s).

• Pre-entry vaccination or recent negative test verification for attendees is recommended, but not required, for Outdoor Mega Event operators.

• Pre-entry vaccination verification or recent negative test verification for patrons and employees is recommended, but not required, for Bars, Breweries, Wineries, Distilleries, Nightclubs and Lounges.

• Employers are required to offer medical grade masks or respirators to employees who work indoors and in contact with other workers, customers, or members of the public in settings where there is optional masking.

• In settings where pre-entry verification of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 viral test result is not required, businesses, venue operators, and hosts may choose to require pre-entry verification of COVID-19 vaccination, pre-entry verification of a negative COVID-19 viral test result, or both as an additional, important strategy to reduce transmission at their site(s), regardless of masking.

• As a reminder, no person can be prevented from wearing a mask as a condition of participation in an activity or entry into a business.

• Local government entities and businesses may continue to have additional and more protective infection control requirements.

Other pertinent information and resources can be found on the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health website at http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/

Thank you for your ongoing efforts to protect the health and well-being of Los Angeles County residents.

Los Angeles County Department of Public Health