Los Angeles County inched closer to returning to an indoor mask mandate on Thursday, with the rising number of COVID-19 cases moving the County back into the “medium” COVID activity level.
Since the repeal of state and local indoor mask mandates in the late winter and early spring of this year, fluctuating COVID-19 transmission rates, as well as recent new case rises and new variants, have had counties considering a return of some form of mask mandate. During the summer, Alameda County brought their mandate back briefly, with LA County nearly doing so but dropping plans to do so at the last minute due to both a turnaround of new cases and enormous public outcry.
A dip in cases during the fall quelled fears of a mandate for a time, but with the number of cases climbing again, LA County Public Health Department began to strongly recommend wearing masks indoors last month. The number of cases has continued to increase since. On November 21st, 1,123 new cases of COVID-19 were announced by LA Public Health. On Thursday, LA County Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer said that the number of new cases a day were over 2,700, with an average of 192 COVID-related hospital admissions, with Thursday’s total going well above that average with 4,493 new cases. Since November 1st, the average number of COVID infections a day has gone up 180%, with COVID hospital admissions up 200%.
“There is this common line of thinking that the pandemic is over and COVID is no longer of concern, but these numbers clearly demonstrate that COVID is still with us,” Ferrer said on Thursday. “Given both the increases in hospitalizations and the lack of certainty in the winter trajectory for COVID-19, continuing some common-sense mitigation strategies that we know work to limit transmission and illness, including masking and being up to date on vaccines and boosters, remains a very sensible approach.”
While the number of cases has pushed the county into the “medium” community level and a “high” level expected sometime in the next few weeks, Ferrer said that a mandate would not be put into effect until CDC thresholds were met. Specifically, a mandate would not happen until there was an average COVID admission rate of more than 10 out of 100,000 residents in the County and that 10% or more inpatient hospital beds had COVID patients.
“However, it does signal that case rates and hospitalizations are elevated, and we could be in the ‘high’ community level as soon as next week,” added Ferrer.
Many healthcare workers noted that reaching the CDC thresholds would take some time to meet, and would likely not be reached until after Christmas.
“If they are met, and that is still a big if, there would still be other County thresholds to meet, as well as a two week period to make sure those rates stayed that high,” Luisa Renteria, a nurse in Los Angeles who has assisted COVID patients since March 2020, told the Globe on Thursday. “That’s what stopped the mandate from returning this summer, and in all likelihood, would stop it again in, say, January or February.”
“I keep telling everyone this, but no one wants masks again. There’s COVID, Flu season and RSV all happening at once now, and that may change the tune too. But masks are just too unpopular. I don’t think they’ll come back in full force right now, but we said things were getting better last year and then the mandate was extended here until several months into 2022. I’d hate to see what kind of backlash happens if mandates return.”
Updates on a possible LA County mandate are expected soon.
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In this state, you are still forced to wear a mask when going to a healthcare setting (medical office, hospital, etc), perpetuating the theater that there is something to fear and the misconception that masks are helping. I heard rumors they want to make healthcare masking permanent even after emergency order ends in CA. When healthcare masking stops, I think more people will return to normal in CA (especially LA). The average person does no research or think critically, they see masks in medical offices and assume masks = safety, which probably explains why there are still many people wearing and supporting masks.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) director, was among the U.S. officials repeatedly urging people to not wear a mask early in the COVID-19 pandemic unless they were showing symptoms. Among his many public and private statements, he wrote in a Feb. 5, 2020, email that “the typical mask you buy in the drug store is not really effective in keeping out virus, which is small enough to pass through the material.” About two months later, Fauci and other top officials reversed course and issued widespread masking recommendations, regardless of symptoms. Asked about the change while under oath on Nov. 23, Fauci couldn’t provide any studies, according to lawyers representing plaintiffs in a case against the federal government. So what studies is LA Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer using to justify her indoor mask mandate for LA County? She's not a medical doctor and she 's abusing her position to issue ridiculous mandates. Maybe she's following orders issued by her deep-state Democrat masters on the LA County Board of Supervisors?
Just. Amazing. Incredible as it seems, Overpaid Bureaucrat, Evil Grinch, and Fake Doctor Barbara Ferrer (and her little dog too) are B-A-A-A-A-CK with their giant bag of moldy dirty tricks. And in answer to your question, Mario, remember the "study" Fake Doctor Barbara Ferrer is relying upon was written by her DAUGHTER, to be applied to masking up the LAUSD children again. Ferrer stunningly denied a conflict of interest. (!!!) As you probably already know:
https://redstate.com/jenvanlaar/2022/07/20/study-cdc-relied-upon-for-school-mask-mandates-was-authored-by-la-county-public-health-directors-daughter-whos-also-not-an-md-n575405
Fake Doctor Barbara Ferrer is not following the science, she has thrown out the book on virology, immunology, and epidemiology standards, and she obviously DOES NOT CARE about public health. If Covid “cases” have risen it’s because everybody and their brother are increasingly made to get those unreliably false-positive PCR tests; if “hospitalizations” have risen it’s because the neurotic are running to the E.R. over something unrelated or over NOTHING but the effects of the hysteria created by the Fake Doctor herself; if “deaths” have risen it’s because PCR false (or real) positives turned up for the usual heart attacks, strokes, flu, pneumonia, and let’s not forget vaccine injuries! Oh, the irony! And if the vaccine hurts one’s immunity, well then we need to add that to the list of reasons for hospitalization and death, right? Ferrer’s lunacy and endless power-trip rantings don’t change that this virus, to the extent it actually IS Covid, becomes increasing less virulent with every “variant.”
Best of luck making this muzzling happen, L.A. County tin-pot dictators, now that there are THOUSANDS of knowledgeable, informed, and determined county residents who actually made the effort and took the time to weigh in on public comment about this very subject at the end of July of 2022 when you all floated that you were going to pull this absurd B.S. AGAIN. You know darn well that EACH of the THOUSANDS who participated in that written public comment represent THOUSANDS more who agree and please realize that they are ready to metaphorically storm your jackboot-crammed castle hideout. The people of L.A. County will not be going along with your crap anymore.
This is why I refuse to accept a job that requires me to go into any office. This shit will come back and I ain't putting on a mask. Ever.
Where I live there is only one facility that requires masks in the hospital, all the others have zero masking. The physicians there wear the masks in the hallway under their noses just to comply to keep their jobs, however, once they enter a patients room all masks are off! The surgeon told us it is political BS and we all know masks do not work to contain or control viruses and the harm it has done to natural immunity. The whole idea of watching Californians wear a mask to walk in a restaurant only to remove it at the table to eat is INSANITY. I hope it doesn't go that far for Californians but I can't help but think if it does, it might help keep Newsom out of the WH!
Hi Stacy! This is all good to know about medical facilities where you are. And the extremely long list of items that under normal circumstances would keep Gruesome out of the WH keeps growing by the day.
How many studies do we need to show masks don't work?
I think LA should bring back masks, but you must wear one that says, "I am a Communist".
The paradigm should do a 180 - if you want to wear an N95 or higher rated mask have at it. Its your responsibility to not get sick.
We can never let this happen again. All business and citizens must refuse to comply. And also, it takes a mentally compromised fool to not realize it's bad science to restrict and poison your breathing.