City Aligns Face Covering Requirements with LA County Regulations

On Monday, May 3, 2021, the West Hollywood City Council approved a Resolution terminating and superseding the City’s face covering requirements in public spaces to align the City’s policies with updated regulations issued by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and CDC guidelines.

Updated LA County guidance provides different recommendations for “Unvaccinated” people — defined by the CDC as those who have yet to receive both doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or the single dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and “Fully Vaccinated” people — defined by the CDC as those who have received both doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or the single dose of Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Individuals are considered fully vaccinated two weeks or more after they have received the second dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or two weeks or more after they have received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

“The City of West Hollywood is encouraged by new CDC guidelines regarding use of masks and we are doing everything we can to quickly align with LA County to ensure that regulations are simple to understand and follow for everyone,” said City of West Hollywood Mayor Lindsey P. Horvath. “Let’s all remember, when we’re in dense outdoor crowds such as concerts and when we’re in indoor public spaces such as drug stores and grocery stores, masks are still required whether you’re vaccinated or not. We’re finally at a stage of the pandemic where there’s a good supply of vaccine availability. Getting back to normal means we must all do our part to get vaccinated and to encourage people we know to get vaccinated. No matter which vaccine you choose, please get vaccinated.”

City Manager Paul Arevalo stated that the city will curb enforcement of people not wearing masks per the CDC guidelines. “Yes, we’re going to curb the enforcement, unless people are in large crowds where the CDC and County says you should be wearing a mask, or inside an enclosed facility, we’re not going to be enforcing it,” he said at the meeting. “It’s just too complicated and many issues could arise that you mention.”

The LA County Health Officer Order, with certain exceptions, allows Fully Vaccinated people to conduct activities outdoors without wearing a mask when alone, when with members of their household, and when with a small group of people who are either Fully Vaccinated or who are not Fully Vaccinated but not at high risk for severe illness or death from COVID-19.

Fully Vaccinated people and Unvaccinated people must still practice face covering in the following:

1. At crowded outdoor events;
2. In crowded spaces where physical distance is not feasible and it is not known if everyone in the space is Fully Vaccinated;
3. In indoor public settings unless expressly permitted by the LA County Health Officer Order;
4. At worksites and businesses; and
5. In any setting where masking is required by the facility operator or business or by the LA County Health Officer Order or its protocols.

Unvaccinated people are still advised to wear a mask when attending outdoor gatherings and while dining at outdoor restaurants with friends from multiple households. All people – both Unvaccinated and Fully Vaccinated – must continue to maintain a distance of six feet from others when in public settings.

Details of the revised Health Officer Order regarding face covering requirements and more are available on the LA County Public Health website: http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus.

COVID-19 daily case counts and hospitalizations have been decreasing in the state and region, but the potential for community transmission remains a top concern for local health officials. Surges in other parts of the country and internationally, as well as concerns about COVID-19 variants, signal the need to remain vigilant about using face coverings, maintaining social distance, and frequently washing hands and using hand sanitizers.

Health officials urge all people to get vaccinated. Residents ages 16 and older with internet access are urged to use www.VaccinateLACounty.com to sign up for a vaccination appointment. For people without access to a computer or the Internet, or people with disabilities, an LA County call center is open daily from 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. to help schedule appointments at (833) 540-0473.

Additional information, such as links to West Hollywood-area drug store chains offering vaccinations, is available on the City of West Hollywood’s website at www.weho.org/coronavirus in the Vaccines and Testing Information section.

Individuals are considered fully vaccinated two weeks or more after they have received the second dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or two weeks or more after they have received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
For up-to-date answers to frequently asked questions about vaccines from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, please visit: www.publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/docs/about/FAQ-Vaccine.pdf.