It has been four months since LA Public Health dropped the masking requirement in healthcare settings on August 11th and I am joining ACE (ActionCareEquity.org) in demanding that the LA County Supervisors and LA Public Health bring back mask requirements in healthcare settings regardless of vaccination status, immediately. There are three health departments within the borders of LA County (LA Public Health, Pasadena, and Long Beach) and LA Public Health is the only agency that has dropped masks in healthcare. Even 9 Bay Area counties have returned mask requirements as of November 1st. Everyone seeking care is vulnerable and the LA County Supervisors and LA County Public Health have completely abandoned the immunocompromised who, by definition, can't adequately mount an immune response to vaccines nor clear the virus even with Paxlovid as it only suppresses replication but doesn't clear the virus. Moreover, the immunocompromised have not had any monoclonal antibodies for over year, we do not have the tools.

Moreover, people are becoming disabled from long covid and dying from hospital-acquired COVID infections and the drop in masking in healthcare settings has led to greater levels of the already overwhelming amounts of disability and deaths in our communities. Moreover, we are continuing to put our healthcare workers at greater risk of reinfections, disability, and death as we already experience a worker shortage in our healthcare system.

The LA County Supervisors and LA Public Health already abandoned our community during the summer surge and now we are growing exponentially again as JN.1 becomes the dominating variant with immune evasive properties. Moreover, with a complete lack of mitigations, it puts everyone at risk of co-infections as people can come in with multiple infections at the same which can increase severe outcomes and further strain our healthcare system.

We are demanding that you bring back masks in healthcare NOW.

We are organizing and bringing every voice to the next Supervisors Meeting.

Please find more information at ActionCareEquity.org