With declining Covid-19 cases, Los Angeles County still has not decided whether it will pursue an indoor mask mandate, but that’s not stopping some cities from preemptively taking a stand.
The Beverly Hills City Council voted unanimously to not enforce one, should LA County move in that direction.
“I feel it is our job to lead, and I support the power of choice,” said Beverly Hills Mayor Lili Bosse. “Our job is to be proactive and public about what we believe. This is a united City Council and community that cares about health. We are not where we were in 2020, and now we need to move forward as a community and be part of the solution.”
Other cities have followed suit, with Manhattan Beach and Long Beach also opposing a possible mask mandate, according to NBC Los Angeles.
LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who opposes a universal indoor mask mandate, remains optimistic that one can be avoided.
"I think it's not inevitable given what I’m hearing, and given the kind of softening of position. It may not happen," she said. "Mandating to me is polarizing and it is going to have the opposite effect."
I cannot support a universal #COVID19 #maskmandate in @countyofla. Read why in my open letter: https://t.co/1mOY0g5YHj pic.twitter.com/0F5ADQSYcp
— Supervisor Kathryn Barger (@kathrynbarger) July 25, 2022
A mask mandate is set to take effect on Friday, but Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said they’d “likely want to take a pause on moving too quickly on universal indoor masking” given the improving Covid metrics.
A final decision is expected to be announced on Thursday.