City Of La Cañada Flintridge: COVID ALERT #45 – Health Order Revisions Regarding Masks

Press release from the City of La Cañada Flintridge:

March 4th, 2022

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LAC DPH) issued a revision to the Health Officer Order effective as of 12:01 am on Friday, March 04, 2022.

The requirements and recommendations for the use of face masks are aligned with the February 28, 2022 guidance issued by the State Public Health Order.

*Everyone should recognize that post-surge does not mean that the pandemic is over or that there will not be additional unpredictable waves of surges that will require monitoring and may require implementing different strategies to meet changing mitigation needs. The County will need to be ready to meet those challenges should they arise.

WHERE ARE MASKS REQUIRED?

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

WHERE ARE MASKS NOT REQUIRED?

• Masks are strongly recommended, but not required, for all persons, regardless of vaccine status, in 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 (examples: retail, restaurants, theaters, family entertainment centers, cardrooms, meetings, state and local government offices serving the public), 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).
• After March 11, the universal masking requirement of K-12 Schools and Childcare settings will terminate. Both California Department of Public Health and County Public Health continue to strongly recommend that individuals in these settings continue to mask while indoors until transmission rates are much lower.

MEGA EVENTS

• Pre-entry vaccination or recent negative test verification for attendees is recommended, but not required, for Outdoor Mega Event (10,000 attendees or more) operators.

BARS, BREWERIES, WINERIES, DISTILLERIES

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

EMPLOYER REQUIREMENTS

• Employers are required to offer medical grade masks or respirators, for voluntary use, 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 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 masking 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.

Please see the attached link for a copy of the County Department of Public Health’s latest order: Los Angeles County Health Officer Order (HOO)

This press release was produced by the City of La Cañada Flintridge. The views expressed here are the author’s own.