Los Angeles County will now be requiring residents to wear masks at “mega” outdoor events starting Friday, regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status, according to an updated health officer order released Monday.
Masks are set to be required at large events, which are defined by L.A. County Department of Public Health as those with crowds more than 5,000 attendees indoors and 10,000 outdoors, like music festivals, parades and sporting events.
The new order is set to go into effect 11:59 p.m. Thursday, with the only exception being except while actively eating or drinking, but that masks “must be immediately put back on afterward,” per the new order.
L.A. County residents have already been required to wear masks in public indoor settings, but the updated rule is set to go a step further as the county continues to see increased COVID-19 figures.
Public Health officials also released the following updated COVID-19 statistics Tuesday:
Countywide COVID-19 cases reported in the past 24 hours: 2,907
Total COVID-19 cases in L.A. County: 1,355,698
New deaths related to COVID-19 reported in the past 24 hours: 30
Total COVID-19 deaths in L.A. County: 24,935
Hospitalizations countywide: 1,679, 24% of whom are in the ICU.
Hospitalizations at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital as of Aug. 16: 35, with 1,373 discharged since the onset of the pandemic.
COVID-19 cases reported in the Santa Clarita Valley in the past 24 hours: 108, 89 of which came from the city of Santa Clarita
Total COVID-19 cases in the SCV: 31,940
Total COVID-19 deaths in the SCV: 311
Percentage of vaccinated people (at least one dose) in the city of Santa Clarita as of Aug. 8: 72.5%*
Percentage of vaccinated people (at least one dose) in the SCV as of Aug. 8: 69.1%*
*Percentages now include vaccination rates for residents between the ages of 12 and 15
