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Los Angeles County public health officials today announced in their first press conference in weeks that the number of coronavirus cases has “doubled in the past few weeks.”
Over the past week, the average number of new cases per day was about 571, compared to about 264 four weeks ago, officials said.
They emphasized that these numbers were still significantly lower than those for most of the past three years, and promised that no major announcements would be made immediately about changes to related recommendations or requirements.
“Nothing has changed. We are not announcing any new safety measures today,” declared Barbara Ferrer, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
But when asked if government officials might mandate masks again, Ferrer was less forthcoming.
“‘Ever’ is not a word I feel comfortable with,” she says. “There’s no such certainty with this pandemic. I’m never saying there won’t be a time when we all have to wear masks again. Of course we all need them back on now. I would like to say no. We are at a place where people are making their own assessments.”
The press conference focused on recent school and workplace outbreaks and continued mask mandates in businesses where outbreaks have occurred, as first reported by Deadline.
Asked if temporary mask mandates in the workplace are on the rise, Ferrer said: “Not really.” It’s standard practice. In the event of an outbreak, our team will be on-site to conduct an assessment. If you think there is significant spread or potential for spread, masks are generally required…this is a reasonable request. This situation usually lasts until the outbreak ends. Typically, new cases associated with the index case stop occurring after about 14 to 20 days, after which the requirement for people to wear masks is lifted. If you work in a business with multiple floors, don’t tell everyone to wear masks. If there is some spread, ask people on affected floors to wear masks. ”
Recall that Deadline recently reported that Lionsgate is requiring employees on the second floor of its Santa Monica office to wear masks. This order was lifted a few days later.