Los Angeles County will not follow California’s lead to end indoor mask requirements in most public places on Feb. 15, prompting demands from Valley business groups for the county to align its mask mandate with the state.
County Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer said in a brief to county supervisors Tuesday said any easing of the mask mandate is at least weeks away.
The Greater San Fernando Valley Chamber of Commerce and the Valley Industry & Commerce Association are two local organizations calling for the alignment of mask mandates, arguing that enforcing different measures than the state will create confusion and hinder public trust.
“The state’s masking requirements align with proven, scientific reality, and the most effective way to maintain community trust and support on safety protocols is to follow the state’s guidance,” the chamber wrote in an email.
“Not aligning with the state will drive residents out of L.A. County, causing local businesses and theme parks to suffer. We need clear goals on exiting the pandemic or risk these provisions lasting in perpetuity,” VICA said in an email.
L.A. County COVID-19 cases have fallen significantly since cases peaked in mid-January, when seven-day case averages registered at 41,682. However, COVID cases have yet to plateau at the lower levels seen before the Winter surge.
Ferrer told the county supervisors on Tuesday that too many people are still becoming infected by the virus for the mask mandates to be dropped.
“We should not be lifting the masking mandate when we are reporting thousands and thousands of new cases every day,” Ferrer said. “That doesn’t make sense to us here at public health.”
Ferrer added the public health department is eyeing April as an endpoint for mask mandates.
The county’s seven-day average was 8,151 infections as of Wednesday.
