- Richard Liu, Esq. (Managing Counsel), Neo Chen (Law Clerk)
This past Friday, on July 16, 2021, the Department of Public Health of Los Angeles County updated its health order (the "Order"), requiring everyone (including vaccinated individuals) to wear masks in all indoor settings, including offices and restaurants. The Order caught most businesses and residents by surprise, as it was set to go into effect almost immediately, starting at midnight on July 18. You can access the Order here.
Los Angeles County's Order is a direct response to the latest COVID Delta Variant, which is seen as more transmissible than the conventional coronavirus strains.
What does this mean for businesses that have offices in Los Angeles County?
If your business has physical presence within Los Angeles County, you should require your employees to wear masks indoor. At the same time, you should be on the lookout for any potential revisions to the Order, since health departments frequently change their orders in light of strong opposition from the public.
Meanwhile, companies should continue to inform their employees to follow the latest guidelines issued by Cal/OSHA, which include the following:
Encourage employee vaccination.
Provide respirators to employees upon request.
Ascertain vaccination records (only if your business has not done so already).
Provide COVID testing information to your employees.
Maintain a written COVID-19 prevention program at work.
For more details of Cal/OSHA's latest guidelines, check out our recent article here.
Going forward
For now, we have not seen any other counties within California that have followed Los Angeles and required face masks. We are monitoring closely and will provide timely updates to you and your business. If you want to receive timely updates, please contact us at assistant@consultils.com to be added to our mailing list.
Richard Liu, Esq. is the Managing Counsel of ILS. He serves clients as a management-side defense lawyer specializing in employment and business litigation. Richard is also an expert on litigation prevention and compliance. He regularly advises Fortune 500 companies and startups on employment, labor, and commercial matters.
Email: richard.liu@consultils.com | Phone: 626-344-8949
*Disclaimer: This article does not constitute legal opinion and does not create any attorney-client relationship.