Los Angeles says essential employees must wear face coverings
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}LOS ANGELES-- Los Angeles announced new measures in its fight against coronavirus Tuesday night, mandating that employees at essential businesses cover their faces and gave the green light for businesses to deny service to customers without a face mask.
CLICK FOR LATEST UPDATE ON CORONAVIRUS
Eric Garcetti, the city’s mayor, said at a press conference that he hopes the move ensures the safety of these employees and shoppers. These businesses must provide employees with soap and proper cleaning products, Fox 11 reported.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The mandate goes into effect on Friday. It comes as health officials have raised new concerns about the risks that may come with shopping in supermarkets.
“Our idea is not to be arresting and fining people for the face coverings,” Garcetti said. “This is about self-enforcement.”
Los Angeles County health officials told residents that they expect a very challenging week and asked residents with enough supplies in their home to “skip shopping altogether.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He told the Associated Press that if infections soar, he'd consider requiring people to stay in their neighborhoods to prevent individuals from traveling long distances for shopping or exercise.
As of Tuesday night, Los Angeles County has reported nearly 7,000 cases and 169 deaths.
Garcetti stressed that these face coverings do not need to be medical grade.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“Everybody has some cloth in their home. There are all kinds of different ways to do this,” Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Koretz said. “There is no downside to this. There’s only an upside.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report