Mask mandate dropped in these LA County settings

LOS ANGELES - Masks will no longer be required in Los Angeles County healthcare facilities, officials announced Friday,

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health rescinded the mandate at 12:01 a.m. on Feb. 2, after LA remained in the CDC's low COVID-19 hospitalization level for four consecutive weeks.

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"Since the new COVID-19 Hospital Admission Level in Los Angeles County has receded and is likely to remain below the Medium Level as defined by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the requirement that all healthcare personnel (HCP), regardless of COVID-19 and influenza vaccination status, working in and visitors to Licensed Healthcare Facilities that provide Inpatient Care wear a Respiratory Mask while in contact with patients or working in Patient-Care Areas is hereby rescinded as of February 2, 2024," said the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health in the latest order.

Health officials said that while masks are no longer required in healthcare facilities, masking is still recommended in these settings through the end of the respiratory illness season. 

Additionally, individual healthcare facilities may choose to continue masking requirements as they deem necessary, according to health officials.

The mask mandate was initially reinstated in LA County healthcare facilities back on Dec. 30, 2023. The Los Angeles County Department of Health cited the steep increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations as the reason for the initial reinstatement.

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According to health officials, the mandate was triggered when LA County entered the CDC's "medium level" for hospitals earlier that month.

At the time, LA County averaged approximately 10.5 weekly hospital admissions per 100,000 for COVID-19. Additionally, the reported daily average of COVID-19 cases in the county had increased by more than 25%.

Officials said another mask mandate could be reinstated in the future if COVID-19 hospitalization levels steeply increase again.