LA To Drop Mask Mandate For Mass Transit, Airports

LOS ANGELES, CA — As the summer COVID-19 surge continues to fade out, officials in Los Angeles County will do away with a mandate requiring face masks on buses, trains, other mass transit vehicles, airports and other transportation hubs starting Friday.

The Southland county was the last of all counties in the state to still hold onto its mass-transit masks.

On Friday, the mandate will transition to a strong recommendation, as long as the county stays in the federal government's "low" COVID activity level and the weekly infection rate remains below 100 new cases per 100,000 residents, said county Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer

Masks will again be mandated on transit vehicles if the rate rises above 100 new infections per 100,000 residents. The county's rate as of Thursday was 98 cases per 100,000 residents, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The news comes in the same week that the state announced a relaxing of mask rules across the states 58 counties. Masks will no longer be required in correctional facilities, homeless shelters or cooling centers, the state said.

Beginning Friday, the state will do away with the guidance that everyone, regardless of vaccination status, mask up inside public spaces.

READ MORE: CA Eases COVID-19 Mask Recommendations: 5 Things To Know

"This shift in masking is consistent with California’s SMARTER Plan and gives Californians the information they should consider when deciding when to wear a mask, including the rate of spread in the community and personal risk," said CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer Dr. Tomás Aragón.

Los Angeles County will also lower its general indoor masking guidance from "strongly recommended" to "individual preference."

But masks will still be required in health-care, long-term care, adult and senior care facilities, the state said. Businesses and venues will also be able to require masks indoors if they so choose. People considered at higher risk of infection or severe illness were urged to consider wearing a mask in crowded indoor public places, officials said.

Those show symptoms of COVID-19 or have been exposed to the virus are also mandated to wear a mask for 10 days, under county guidelines. People who were positive for the virus but are eligible to leave isolation after six days following a negative test must also wear a mask if they are returning to work or school.

The county has been experiencing downward trends in COVID infections and hospitalizations for weeks.

On Thursday, the number of COVID-positive patients in Los Angeles County hospitals fell to 551, down from 573 on Wednesday, according to state figures. Of those patients, 77 were being treated in intensive care units, down from 83 on Wednesday.

County officials have said about 43 percent of patients with COVID were actually hospitalized due to virus-related illness, while the rest were admitted for other reasons, with some only learning they were infected when they were tested upon admission.

The county Department of Public Health reported another 1,666 COVID infections on Thursday, lifting the cumulative total from throughout the pandemic to 3,444,630. The case numbers officially reported by the county are also believed to be low due to the popularity of at-home tests, the results of which are generally not relayed to the county.

Another 12 COVID-related deaths were also reported Wednesday, giving the county an overall death toll of 33,519.

The average daily rate of people testing positive for the virus was 4.7 percent as of Thursday.

Despite president Joe Biden's declaration that the pandemic is over this week, public health officials have deemed the coronavirus an indefinite fixture. The advent of vaccines and treatments, however, have made it easier for Californians to mitigate spread.

As of Wednesday, there were just three California counties that were in the high-risk category — Kings, Madera and Merced, according to data from the CDC.

The state's positivity rate has dropped dramatically since mid-summer. On July 15, the state was reporting a 16.7 percent positivity rate with 4,432 COVID-related hospitalizations. By Sept. 15, the positivity rate had dropped to 6.2 percent, with just 2,580 virus-related hospitalizations reported, according to CDPH.

"We have never been in a better position to end the pandemic,"said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization. "We're not there yet, but the end is in sight."

City News Service contributed to this report.