Health leaders stress safety protocol on Super Bowl Sunday as the county discusses what it will take to ease mask mandate
AS the omicron variant continues to plague communities across the country, the coronavirus numbers in Los Angeles County continue to prove the efficacy of vaccines and boosters in preventing deaths, particularly in high-risk workplaces.
According to LA County Public Health, the seven-day average death rate within skilled nursing facilities — defined as any long-term assisted living home for elderly, disabled, or severely ill patients — “dramatically declined” to 21 residents per 100,000 residents; this time last year before vaccines became more widely available, the death rate was 106 residents per 100,000 in skilled nursing facilities.
The county reported that by the end of January, 91% of residents and 97% of staff at these facilities were fully vaccinated; 85% of residents and 75% of staff were reported to be fully vaccinated and boosted.
According to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), those who are “fully vaccinated and boosted had a 97 times lower death rate (0.1 individuals per 100,000) compared to individuals who were unvaccinated (9.7 individuals per 100,000).”
On Friday, Feb. 4, the county reported 15,427 new positive cases and a whopping 85 new deaths due to COVID-19. (According to the press release, the case number reflects reporting delays from one.)
But the risk of getting sick still applies to all individuals, vaccinated or not, and with the upcoming Super Bowl LVI festivities that are planned for next weekend, officials are doubling down on safety — inside SoFi Stadium and out.
As previously reported in the Asian Journal, those at the Super Bowl who are 2 years old and above must wear masks when not eating or drinking — which is part of the county’s mandate that requires masking at any outdoor event that is hosting 5,000 or more attendees.
SoFi Stadium’s safety protocols also include the following: electrostatic spraying throughout the space to frequently disinfect surfaces; outfitting the stadium with more than 400 automatic hand sanitizer dispensers; offering free KN95 masks to all attendees; and requiring proof of vaccination, a negative PCR test within 48 hours of the event, or a negative antigen test within 24 hours of the event.
According to the NFL, there will be officials on every level of the stadium reminding patrons to uphold masking rules as well as large video boards that will remind everyone to keep masks on when not consuming food or beverages.
“It’s a challenge. It’s a very large building but we are prepared and ready to go,” said Jon Barker, head of Live Event Operations for the NFL. “We have had two years of experience of planning under COVID and we’re extremely confident in the plans that we have in place.”
Despite the controversial photos of Magic Johnson, Governor Gavin Newsom, and outgoing LA Mayor Eric Garcetti without masks, the county is still urging the public to follow masking guidelines, noting that masks are “an easy form of protection.”
“Masking is a modest requirement that works. Masking does not affect a businesses bottom line and it certainly will not affect the attendance or our enjoyment of the game,” said LA County Supervisor Holly Mitchell. “LA County’s transmissions are still high, so now is not the time to let down our guard.”
However, the county announced on Thursday that it may be easing its masking requirements in certain public settings if the county experiences two straight weeks at or below “moderate transmission”: 50 new cases per 100,000 residents over a week.
Also if there are no new variants, mask requirements may be relaxed at indoor establishments, events, and areas of bars and restaurants. However, as of Friday, none of California’s counties are at moderate transmission levels.
Dr. Barbara Ferrer, director of LA County Public Health, said that even if the county as a whole stops requiring masking in certain spaces, individual businesses are still allowed to maintain stricter masking rules.
Ferrer also reminded the public that wearing masks is still an essential much-needed safety measure as the omicron variant continues to spread across the state, even though the county may be in a “post-surge” stage.
“Although there’s been inconsistent compliance, as we’ve seen in some settings, given the continued high numbers of new cases, including breakthrough cases, this is not the right time to stop wearing our mask when around others indoors and in crowded outdoor settings,“ Ferrer said.
