Masks Mandatory In Large Outdoor Crowds In Los Angeles County

LOS ANGELES, CA — Everyone planning to attend outdoor events with large crowds must, once again, don face coverings under a new health order issued by Los Angeles County Tuesday. The order governs so-called "mega-events" with gatherings of more than 10,000 people such as MLB, NFL games and arena concerts, and it will take effect later this week.

The county's newest mask mandate comes as the region struggles to contain the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus, which is more than twice as contagious as the original variant. It's the latest setback in the face of a variant that has thwarted the nation's recovery and changed our understanding of the disease.

The new order, which will become effective at 11:59 p.m. Thursday, will require mask-wearing in such outdoor settings except when people are "actively eating or drinking." The order will apply to everyone, regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status.

Outdoor events had been previously exempted from the county's mask-wearing mandate, which requires face coverings in all indoor settings, regardless of vaccination status. Masks are also required on public transit, at transit hubs such as airports and train stations, inside schools, at health care settings, homeless shelters and correctional facilities.

The updated health order, which was quietly posted on the county Department of Public Health's website Monday, applies to all events of more than 10,000 people. The order cites as examples music or food festivals, car shows, endurance events, marathons, parades, sporting events and concerts.

The mandate will affect people attending games at Dodger Stadium, as well as Rams/Chargers games at SoFi Stadium, LAFC games at Banc of California Stadium and LA Galaxy Games at Dignity Health Sports Park. Concert-goers at the Hollywood Bowl will also be affected.

Several developments have upended the county's plans for returning to normal this summer. It was just the start of the summer when the county followed CDC guidance in eliminating indoor mask requirements for vaccinated people, but COVID-19 cases began to spike shortly after that. In June, county officials realized that vaccinated people accounted for 20 percent of coronavirus cases, and studies showed that vaccinated people could still infect others.

Lastly, the Delta variant turned out to be far more contagious than anticipated. On average, a person infected with the original variant passed it along to two or three others. With Delta, that number shoots up to six or more infections, according to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.