{"id":43596,"date":"2022-01-05T16:12:28","date_gmt":"2022-01-06T00:12:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=43596"},"modified":"2022-01-05T16:12:28","modified_gmt":"2022-01-06T00:12:28","slug":"public-health-modifies-health-officer-order-to-add-additional-masking-requirements-for-indoor-employees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=43596","title":{"rendered":"Public Health Modifies Health Officer Order to Add Additional Masking Requirements for Indoor Employees\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

26,754 New Positive Cases and 27 New Deaths Due to COVID-19 in Los Angeles County\u00a0<\/em><\/h3>\n

As cases continue to surge as a result of the increased circulation of the highly transmissible Omicron variant, Public Health has modified its\u00a0Health Officer Order<\/a>\u00a0to include additional safety measures to reduce transmission risks knowing that vaccinations alone are not sufficient to prevent spread of Omicron.\u00a0 As soon as possible, but no later than January 17th, employers are required to provide their employees who work indoors in close contact with others with well-fitting medical grade masks, surgical masks, or higher-level respirators, such as N95 or KN95 masks. These upgraded masks are better at blocking virus particles from going through the mask.<\/p>\n

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The new modifications include an alignment with the\u00a0State Public Health Officer Order<\/a>\u00a0changing attendance thresholds at mega events; for outdoor mega events, the new attendance threshold has been lowered to 5,000 attendees, and for indoor mega events, the new threshold is 500 attendees. Operators of mega events, performance venues, movie theaters, and entertainment venues are responsible for the messaging, signage, and compliance of masking requirements unless spectators or customers are actively eating or drinking. Additionally, Public Health recommends that food and drink be consumed in designated dining areas.<\/p>\n

Lastly, food and drinks are prohibited at card room gaming tables and masks must always be worn while indoors at card rooms, except for when actively eating or drinking in designated dining areas.<\/p>\n

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These modifications recognize the importance of wearing well-fitting, high-quality masks that do the best job filtering out virus when in close contact with others.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI send my heartfelt condolences to everyone mourning the loss of a loved one due to COVID-19,\u201d said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. \u201cGiven the explosive spread of the virus, activities that put us in close contact with many other people now have an increased risk.\u00a0As such, everyone needs to be sensible about how to protect themselves and those they love by layering on protections whenever around non-household members.\u00a0At work, this means upgrading your mask if you work indoors and you are in contact with other workers or members of the public.\u00a0 At entertainment venues, this means limiting the time you spend without wearing your upgraded mask. And for other activities, this may mean postponing your participation until community transmission is much reduced.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Today, Public Health confirmed 27 additional deaths and 26,754 new cases of COVID-19. Of the 27 new deaths reported today, one person was between the ages of 18 and 29, three were between the ages of 30 and 49, six were between the ages of 50-64, seven were between the ages of 65-79, and six were over the age of 80 years old. Of the 27 newly reported deaths, 18 had underlying conditions. To date, the total number of deaths in L.A. County is 27,698. Information on the three deaths reported by the City of Long Beach and the one death reported by the City of Pasadena are available at:\u00a0www.Longbeach.gov<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0www.Cityofpasadena.net<\/a><\/p>\n

Public Health has identified a total 1,806,828 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County. Today\u2019s positivity rate is 22.4%.<\/p>\n

There are 2,240 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 10,159,295 individuals, with 16% of people testing positive.<\/p>\n

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Public Health is reminding residents to avoid visiting the emergency room unless they need emergency medical care. Residents should not be visiting the emergency department solely to get a COVID test or for minor complaints that could be resolved through their primary care physician. Emergency room visits should be reserved for those patients who are feeling severely ill \u2013 for example, those who are short of breath \u2013 or who have serious concerns about their health and who require immediate emergency care.<\/p>\n

To keep workplaces and schools open, residents and workers are asked to:<\/p>\n