Los Angeles mandating masks at large outdoor events

Los Angeles County will start requiring masks at large outdoor events at midnight on Thursday, as officials look for ways to curb the current outbreak of COVID-19.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health announced in a revised order on Monday that masks must now be worn at outdoor “mega events” with crowds of more than 10,000 attendees, regardless of vaccination status.

Individuals in these crowds will have to wear face coverings “at all times,” according to the order, except for when they are “actively eating and drinking.”

Masks can only be removed “briefly” to eat or drink, and they “must be immediately put back on afterward,” according to the county.

Los Angeles County had already required masks to be worn at indoor “mega events” that have crowds of more than 5,000 people.

The revised order comes as Los Angeles is seeing a surge in COVID-19 cases. The county reported 2,907 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, adding to its seven-day average of 3,405 infections, according to data compiled by The New York Times.

In June, new COVID-19 cases in Los Angeles were hovering around 180 per day.

The new mandate will now likely affect events at Hollywood Bowl, an amphitheater in Los Angeles that frequently hosts large crowds.

The Times noted that the venue has amended its COVID-19 precautions a number of times throughout the pandemic, and most people in recent audiences have been maskless except when exiting the theater through crowded walkways after performances.

The increase in cases comes amid a nationwide surge in COVID-19 infections and deaths. The U.S. is now averaging more than 100,000 coronavirus cases per day, which is significantly more than the roughly 12,000 new daily cases it was seeing in June.

The delta variant, which is more infectious than other strains of the virus, now accounts for more than 98.8 percent of cases in the US, USA Today reported, citing data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Other local officials across the U.S. have taken measures to tame the current outbreak by implementing mitigation measures. Chicago; Washington, D.C.; and San Francisco all require face coverings to be worn in public indoor places.

New York City is also requiring proof of vaccination for workers and customers who want to take part in indoor activities, including eating in restaurants, working out in gyms and attending theater performances.