But officials in Los Angeles are asking people to refrain from pulling off their face coverings until the county and state have had a chance to to review the recommendations.
“It’s really important for us not to jump the gun and create an unintended consequence where we’re creating risk where we didn’t need to,” L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said during a news briefing Thursday, noting that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s announcement earlier in the day was not “implying that state and local regulations — especially those that protect workers — should be disregarded.
One particular sticking point for the county is workplace requirements for mask wearing and social distancing, which differ from the CDC’s new recommendations. While federal officials said anyone who is fully vaccinated can participate in indoor and outdoor activities, large or small, without wearing masks or physical distancing, L.A. County is asking that all residents continue to adhere to current local guidelines until the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health has had the opportunity to weigh in, which will not happen until at least next week.
“In the interim, I do want to note that fully vaccinated people don’t need to wear a mask when they’re indoors around other fully vaccinated people, or when they’re outside in crowded areas,” she said. “However, when at businesses and in crowded venues — both indoors and outdoors — masks are still required to be worn by everyone.”