Los Angeles: L.A. County Brings Back COVID-19 Mask Mandate in Public Transportation, Airports

COVID-19 mask mandates will soon be observed in the public transportations of Los Angeles, California following the continuous rise of positive cases recorded in the county.

On Thursday, Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer announced that the county will announce a new COVID-19 health order that will be effective on Friday, according to a CBS News report.

The new health order will require face masks to be worn on all public transit, including taxis, ride-hailing service vehicles, trains, and busses, ABC 7 reported. Furthermore, indoor public transportation hubs, like airports and bus terminals, will also be affected by the health order.

According to Ferrer, the public health order to be imposed on the public transits in L.A. County is based on the determination of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that the wearing of facemasks on transit remains a pivotal step in preventing the spread of COVID-19.

"They are experts... They made a determination that at this point, having that requirement in place is necessary for the public's health, and that resonates with us," Ferrer underscored.

Ferrer further noted that the county is still seeing a lot of transmissions from COVID-19, and the virus is still "equated with significant illness for some people."

The mandate will be effective at exactly 12:01 a.m. Friday, per ABC 7.

Los Angeles Mask Mandate: L.A. County Executive Apologizes for 'Whiplash' Over Mask Directives

On Thursday, Ferrer also said that she feels "really, really sorry" that the new order may confuse L.A. County residents and made them feel a sense of whiplash due to the changing face mask rules, ABC 7 mentioned.

It can be recalled that yesterday, the Los Angeles Metro announced through a statement that face masks in all Metro bus and rail lines operating in the L.A. county will only be "strongly recommended, but not required."

"With more tools at our disposal to combat this virus, including wider availability of vaccines, tests, and therapeutics, the county can continue to progress towards its new normal," Metro Board First District Supervisor and Chair Hilda Solis said in a statement.

However, Solis also underscored that the public should recognize that the country is still in a pandemic which is why the wearing of face masks will be strongly recommended.

The statement from Metro pointed out that their decision to encourage wearing face masks follows a Florida federal court decision on Monday that eliminated the mask mandate on public transportation and airplanes nationwide.

The decision was ruled by U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, claiming that the CDC has exceeded its authority in issuing the mask-wearing mandate on transportation systems.

On Wednesday, CDC issued a statement slamming Mizelle's claims, noting that they believe that requiring face masks in indoor transportation settings is still essential for public health, ABC 7 noted.

Los Angeles COVID-19 Cases

As of Thursday, L.A. County Public Health recorded at least 2,123 new positive cases of COVID-19. According to CBS News, the last time the county reported over 2,000 cases was on February 17.

Meanwhile, 13 new deaths due were also reported in the county.

Hospitalization in Los Angeles also recorded at least 224 since April 20.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written By: Joshua Summers

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