Los Angeles Times

LA County mask mandate likely a week away as COVID cases keep climbing

Katelyn Woolcott, right, wears a mask as she works at Grand Central Market on Tuesday, March 1, 2022, in Los Angeles.

Indoor masking in public settings could return to Los Angeles County in a week as circulation of the hyper-infectious BA.5 omicron subvariant continues to push coronavirus case counts higher and sends increasing numbers of people to the hospital.

The possible return of a mask mandate — a move only L.A. County is contemplating — is the latest flashpoint in the long-running pandemic.

Proponents say the move is an effective and low-impact way to help stymie soaring coronavirus transmission.

L.A. County — the nation’s most populous — is like no other county in California. With its higher rate of poverty and overcrowded housing, it has been hit harder than most other parts of the state.

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