Masks Now Required Outdoors And All Public Places In Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES, CA — Anyone out in public in Los Angeles will be required to wear masks or facial coverings, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced Wednesday. The mayor's executive order comes as the region slowly begins reopening businesses, which will mean more people venturing out into public despite the climbing coronavirus death toll.

The mayor's order excludes children under 2 years old and people with disabilities who already had respiratory problems. Announced on the same day county officials relaxed shutdown orders to allow all types of retail businesses to reopen for curbside pickup, the order reflects the give-and-take needed to protect public health while reopening businesses.

"You never know when you're going to bump into somebody around a corner in a park and see somebody," Garcetti said. "Have your mask with you when you leave your house."

Facial coverings or masks were already required by several Southland transportation agencies, many of which ordered the requirement for their riders beginning Monday.

"Today's orders also simplify this for all Angelenos. We're requiring all Angelenos, except for small children or those with disabilities that might be harmed by a face mask, to wear a face covering," Garcetti said.

Garcetti also said motorized vehicles would be banned from certain streets, this weekend to allow people to have more space when biking and walking.

"This is really tough work. And I want to remind you, this is about saving the lives of people we know," Garcetti said. "It pisses me off when I hear people say, `Oh, those are just old people.'

"Because you know that so many of the people that are dying are our parents and our grandparents and our neighbors. Many of them are veterans who have served our country."

The city has been deterring people who are 65 and older or people with preexisting conditions related to respiratory issues to go outside during the pandemic.

No details of which streets would be partially or completely closed were provided by Garcetti.

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