The Los Angeles Post

With Increases in Worksite Outbreaks and Positive Cases, the LA County Public Transit Masking Requirement Is Extended and Employers Are Urged to Use Safety Measures That Protect Workers and Customers

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3,180 New Positive Cases and 10 New Deaths Due to COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

As case and test positivity rates and hospitalizations increase in LA County, masking will continue to be required in all public transit and indoor transportation hubs within LA County.

Many residents and workers require public transportation to get to their jobs, secure essential goods and services, and connect with family and friends.

Traveling on public transportation increases a person’s risk of getting and spreading COVID-19 by bringing people in close contact with others, often for prolonged periods, in poorly ventilated spaces.

To reduce this risk, the County’s Health Officer Order continues to require masks to be worn by everyone, 2 years of age and older, regardless of their COVID-19 vaccination status, on public transit and indoor transportation hubs within the county. This includes wearing masks on commuter trains, subways, buses, taxis, ride-shares, airport and bus terminals, train and subway stations, seaport or other indoor port terminals, or any other indoor area that serves as a transportation hub.

Public Health will reassess this masking requirement when either the COVID-19 community transmission level in Los Angeles County decreases to moderate (<50 weekly cases/100,000 people) or within 30 days, whichever occurs first.

Worksite transmission is also increasing in Los Angeles County and employers are urged to use common sense strategies to help keep employees and customers safe.

The early alert metrics continue to document increased transmission at worksites, with 227 worksite cluster reports received between May 11th through noon on May 17th. This is more than 6 times as many clusters  we reported for a 7-day period one month ago.

Of these worksite clusters, 42% were reported from the Retail Trade sector alone, including in Building Material, Garden Equipment and Supply Dealers, and Food and Beverage Stores. Manufacturing, the second most frequent sector represented, accounted for 17% of all worksite cluster reports received.

The vaccines continue to offer strong protection against the virus, and vaccination partners may be able to provide vaccination services for your workplace, organization, or special event. These mobile units offer vaccines and boosters to employees and customers and can be arranged by filling out this form or finding a provider at http://ph.lacounty.gov/acd/ncorona2019/vaccine/providerfinder/ and contacting them directly.

Employers are required to provide all employees at indoor worksites, where masking is optional, with medical grade masks and respirators for voluntary use.

In order to reduce transmission at worksites, employers are required to report any cluster of worksite COVID-19 cases to the Department of Public Health. A cluster is three or more laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 at the worksite within a 14-day period. Reports to Public Health should be made as soon as possible and no later than 48 hours after reports or knowledge of at least three cases. Worksites can report a cluster to Public Health online or by phone: 1-888-397-3993. If Public Health determines that there is an outbreak at a worksite, employees are required to mask both indoors and, if they can’t be socially distanced, outdoors as well.

Residents or workers who are a close contact to someone with COVID-19 and have no symptoms are not required to quarantine but must wear a highly protective mask around others, monitor their health for 10 days and get tested 3-5 days after they were last exposed. If they test positive for COVID-19 within the last 90 days, they don’t need to test unless they get symptoms.  If their test result is positive, they must isolate.

Some close contacts must quarantine or be excluded from work if they live or work in select high-risk settings, including emergency shelters and cooling and heating centers; homeless shelters; healthcare settings; long-term care centers; adult and senior care facilities; and local correctional facilities and detention centers.

Some close contacts in other settings may be required to be excluded from work by their employer.

Workers concerned about possible COVID-19 violations or other workplace safety concerns have several options for filing a complaint. To file a complaint with Public Health, which can be submitted anonymously, workers can call the Environmental Health Customer Call Center at (888) 700-9995 or click on the “Report a Problem” at www.ph.lacounty.gov/eh. To file a complaint with Cal/OSHA about employee safety, workplace safety, or hazardous conditions, workers can call (833) 579-0927 or email the local Cal/OSHA Enforcement Office that serves the location of the job site.

“I send my deepest sympathies and wishes of peace and comfort to the many families who have lost a loved one from COVID-19,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “As we move into the CDC’s Medium Community Level and see elevated levels of concern among our early alert signals, the task in front of us is similar to work we had to do at other points over the past 2 ½ years: slowing transmission. We know what works- masking, testing, and vaccination, along with systems and policies that support the use of these and other effective safety measures.  If each of us takes advantage of the good access to these effective resources, I am hopeful that we can slow transmission again, prevent strain on our healthcare system, and protect each other.”

Today, Public Health reported 10 additional deaths and 3,180 new positive cases today. Of the 10 new deaths reported today, one was between the ages of 50-64, one was between the ages of 65-79, and seven were aged 80 years or older. Of the 10 newly reported deaths, six had underlying health conditions. One death was reported by the City of Long Beach. To date, the total number of deaths in L.A. County is 32,074.

Public Health has reported a total of 2,929,950 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County. Today’s positivity rate is 3.7%.

There are 401 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 11,957,743 individuals, with 22% of people testing positive.

A wide range of data and dashboards on COVID-19 from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health are available on the Public Health website at http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov including:

Always check with trusted sources for the latest accurate information about novel coronavirus:

For more information:

 

Total Cases

Laboratory Confirmed Cases

2,929,950

— Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)

2,772,679

— Long Beach

127,749

— Pasadena

29,522

Deaths

32,074

— Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)

30,392

— Long Beach

1,268

— Pasadena

414

Age Group (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)

– 0 to 4

85153

– 5 to 11

246418

– 12 to 17

240920

– 18 to 29

617653

– 30 to 49

885123

– 50 to 64

458414

– 65 to 79

178940

–  over 80

57998

–  Under Investigation

2060

Gender (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)

–  Female

1411877

–  Male

1283236

–  Other

1222

–  Under Investigation

76344

Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)

–  American Indian/Alaska Native

5095

–  Asian

176290

–  Black

139464

–  Hispanic/Latino

1250686

–  Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

14042

–  White

364863

–  Other

307413

–  Under Investigation

514826

Hospitalization (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)

–  Hospitalized (Ever)***

138,333

Deaths Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)

–  American Indian/Alaska Native

73

–  Asian

3794

–  Black

2816

–  Hispanic/Latino

15612

–  Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

112

–  White

7586

–  Other

309

–  Under Investigation

90