Pasadena mandates face coverings during coronavirus crisis

Pasadena mandates face coverings during coronavirus crisis

by Jonah Valdez

Cloth face coverings will soon be required in Pasadena for everyone who wants to shop at grocery stores, restaurants and other essential businesses, said city officials on Saturday in an order issued to guard against the spread of the new coronavirus.

Those essential businesses, including food banks, shelters, gas stations, laundromats, and banks and credit unions, also need to provide cloth face cover coverings to any employees who come in close contact with one another or members of the public, Pasadena city officials said.

The city-wide order goes in to effect 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, April 15.

City officials stressed that covering one’s face does not replace social distancing, frequent hand washing, and avoiding touching your eyes, nose and mouth.

Those mandated health habits, which have been in place in Los Angeles County since March 19, appear to be flattening the curve of new COVID-19 cases, county public health officials said on Friday as they extended stay-at-home orders until May 15.

“The data is encouraging,” said L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer on Friday. “We know all the sacrifices that everyone is making is in fact slowing the spread, but slowing the spread is a constant activity we have to do in the days to come.”

Saturday’s order in Pasadena comes about one week after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that people to start wearing face coverings. Earlier this week, the city of Los Angeles announced a similar mandate for members of the public and essential businesses.

Pasadena’s order also requires businesses to post social distancing policies on their front door, limit the amount of people in  businesses where people can still keep 6 feet between each other, and provide hand sanitizer to customers and employees.

Under the order, individuals or families from the same household may still participate in outdoor activities such as jogging, walking, or biking.

Pasadena announced two more deaths due to the coronavirus on Friday, bringing the count to seven people in the city who have lost their lives to the disease in as many days.

Those two Pasadena deaths were included in public health officials’ announcement Saturday of 25 more deaths across L.A. County and 456 new cases, bringing to countywide total case count to 8,873 people with the coronavirus.

All credit goes to Jonah Valdez
Originally published on https://www.dailynews.com