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Monday, January 31, 2022

Barger Releases Statement Seeking Re-Evaluation of COVID-19 Masking Policy in LA County

Supervisor Kathryn Barger via Facebook

Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger wants the county to re-evaluate its masking policy.

“Masking rules set by the state and county weren’t followed consistently by everyone at yesterday’s NFC Championship,” Barger said in a statement Monday.

“Instead, we saw individuals choosing to mask up based on calculated personal risk. Modern stadiums like SoFi Stadium have strong air circulation and all attendees of the game were required to show proof of vaccination or a negative test. Some fans evidently felt this was enough to protect them against COVID-19.”

Last week, Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said every fan attending next month’s Super Bowl at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood will be given a KN95 mask, and extensive outreach will be done to remind attendees to wear their masks at all times during the game, except when eating or drinking.

The County is currently battling the more contagious Omicron variant. County health officials reported high numbers over the past two months that led to the cancellation of some events.

The number of COVID-positive patients in Los Angeles County hospitals has dropped for six consecutive days, decreasing 146 to 3,852, according to the latest state figures.

The number of patients in intensive care rose 14 to 759.

Officials have said that some of these patients likely entered the hospital for other reasons and only discovered they had the coronavirus after a mandated test.

The county reported another 40 deaths associated with COVID-19 Sunday as the winter surge in infections that drove up hospital rates continues to produce high fatality rates.

Despite the fatalities, Barger said she believes that people should be allowed to make an informed choice about whether to mask up or not.

“I hope state and local health leaders take this into consideration and re-evaluate indoor and school masking mandates now.

Let’s do away with blanket COVID-19 masking policies – they don’t make a difference when they’re not consistently followed or enforced. We need to trust the public to make the best personal decisions for themselves based on their unique risks and circumstances.”

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