Los Angeles County has reinstated a mask wearing requirement for staff and visitors at all licensed health care facilities in light of an upswing in coronavirus metrics, officials said Saturday.
The county has recently transitioned to the “medium” level of COVID-19 hospital admissions, as per the criteria set by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In a statement, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health acknowledged a noticeable, albeit anticipated, surge in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and fatalities over the past week. Despite these increases being significant, they underscored that they still fall well below the peak witnessed last winter. The department strongly recommended the continued adoption of common-sense precautions to mitigate transmission and severe illness as the new year unfolds.
According to CDC guidelines, the threshold for the medium level is between 10 and 19.9 new COVID hospital admissions per 100,000 population over seven days. As of the week ending on December 23, Los Angeles County reported 10.5 new COVID hospital admissions per 100,000 people.
In response to the current scenario, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health emphasized that, based on the Health Officer Order posted on December 27, 2023, healthcare personnel in licensed health care facilities providing inpatient care are mandated to wear masks when in contact with patients or working in patient-care areas, regardless of their COVID-19 and influenza vaccination status. Additionally, visitors to such facilities are required to wear masks around patients and within patient-care areas. These measures will be in effect until the COVID-19 hospital admission level drops below the CDC’s Medium Level for at least 14 consecutive days. a mask wearing requirement
State data revealed that there were 609 COVID-positive patients in LA County hospitals as of December 23, marking an increase from 259 on November 1. However, this figure remains lower than the corresponding period last year when it exceeded 1,200. Health officials clarified that some of these patients were admitted for different reasons and subsequently tested positive for COVID.