On Friday, July 16, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) renewed the county’s mask mandate, requiring all persons, regardless of vaccination status, to wear face masks while indoors. Several other counties across California have issued ordinances “strongly recommending” masking in public indoor spaces, and may be considering renewing their respective mask mandates.

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Los Angeles County Mask Mandate

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Since California’s June 15 reopening, community transmission of COVID-19 within LA County has risen significantly, more than quadrupling in the past month. In order to curb this trend, Public Health has issued an order requiring all persons, regardless of vaccination status, to wear face masks while in all indoor public settings and businesses.

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Individuals, businesses, venue operators, and other hosts of public indoor settings must now:

• Require all patrons and employees, regardless of their vaccination status, to wear masks in all indoor settings (for example: offices, retail, restaurants, theaters, family entertainment centers, and meetings), and
• Post clearly visible and easy to read signage at all entry points for indoor and outdoor settings to communicate the masking requirements for patrons.

Within workplaces, certain employees may be exempt from wearing a mask when performing specific tasks which cannot feasibly be performed while wearing a mask. Learn more about this limited exemption here.

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LA County’s mask mandate overrides Cal/OSHA’s recently relaxed masking guidance. Therefore, employers, where applicable, should update their COVID-19 prevention policies to adjust to LA County’s new guidance.

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“Strong” Masking Recommendations in Other California Counties

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Other local jurisdictions, such as Alameda, Contra Costa, Fresno, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Sonoma, Sacramento, and Yolo counties, and the City of Berkeley, have strongly urged businesses to adopt universal masking requirements indoors, and may reimplement mask mandates in the coming weeks. Governments across the State will be closely tracking the Delta variant and sharp rise in COVID-19 cases to potentially adjust their guidance.

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Resources for California Employers

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In spite of relaxed statewide regulations, California employers should be prepared to make adjustments to their COVID-19 prevention strategies, and track and follow more restrictive requirements imposed by local regulatory bodies and governments.

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Find the full text of Los Angeles County’s renewed mask mandate here.

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If you have questions regarding the application of LA County’s mask mandate to your business, please contact one of the following attorneys in The Maloney Firm’s Employment Law Department: Patrick Maloney, Lisa Von Eschen, Samantha Botros, or Nicholas Grether.

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