With the Super Bowl in Inglewood in just two weeks, public health and elected leaders pushed back Wednesday, Feb. 2, on calls to lift Los Angeles County’ masking mandates, citing still high coronavirus transmission rates.
They acknowledged that much will be left to personal responsibility on a Super Bowl mega-stage when such rules cannot be consistently enforced. But that doesn’t mean throw the current rules out, they said.
Not yet, anyway, they said.
Many fans seated at last Sunday’s NFC Championship at SoFi Stadium were seen not wearing masks, sparking calls to do away with masking rules altogether, given that actually fully enforcing the rule is not possible. L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti and Gov. Gavin Newsom also stirred social-media heat after photos were posted of them posing maskless with former Lakers great Magic Johnson.
“We’re still in a surge .. .,” said L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer at a news conference at SoFi Stadium, where she joined Garcetti, Supervisor Holly Mitchell, Inglewood Mayor James Butts and NFL officials. “It’s absolutely essential when you’re really experiencing this much community transmission to add in an additional layer of protection. In a large crowd … putting on this layer is a critically important way to continue to stay focused on getting community transmission down.”
The message came in response to Los Angeles County Supervisors Kathryn Barger, who this week called on local and state officials to reassess the mask mandate. Barger and other critics argue that as the omicron variant wanes, and more become vaccinated, it should be up to the individual whether to wear a mask — especially when there’s spotty compliance at mega events anyway.
“Let’s do away with blanket COVID-19 masking policies — they don’t make a difference when they’re not consistently followed or enforced,” Barger said this week, noting that modern stadiums like SoFi have strong air circulation and all in the house are required to show proof of vaccination or a negative test.
But Barger’s statement baffled Mitchell, who said the masking rules aren’t just for the benefit of fans’ public health. She pointed to concerns from many workers at venues — ticket takers, security workers — across L.A. who she said were concerned about non-mask-wearing patrons.
“That’s my responsibility and obligation, and I will continue to stand and do so,” Mitchell said.
Ferrer said it’s those workers who don’t have a choice about their exposure.
“We’ve seen for two years now that essential workers bear the brunt when we’re in a surge period because they have multiple exposures day in and day out. They are not teleworking and they are often working in places where they’re in close contact with other people.”
As was the case for all games at SoFi this year, fans at the Feb. 13 Super Bowl will be required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a recent negative test, and all attendees older than 2 years old must wear masks during the game unless “actively” eating or drinking, according to Russ Simons, senior vice president for campus and facility operations for SoFi Stadium.
“That doesn’t mean you buy a bucket of popcorn and eat it for two hours. Actively eating and drinking,” he reiterated. “We’re on to you.”
The NFL will provide KN95 masks to all workers and fans during the game, and people who attend the Super Bowl Experience at the Los Angeles Convention Center will receive take-home COVID-19 tests — in hopes they will use them before watching the Super Bowl at the stadium or at a gathering.
John Barker, head of live event operations and production for the NFL, said the league has been preparing for Super Bowls during COVID-19 for nearly two years, and it is “extremely confident in the plans we have in place.”
Many of the measures have been in effect at SoFi Stadium throughout the season, including:
— Electrostatic spraying to disinfect horizontal surfaces and common touch points;
__ Cash-free, touch-free food and concessions sales;
— UVC lighting to sanitize the field; and
— Touchless hand sanitizer stations, as well as touchless soap, water and towel dispensers in the restrooms.
The county will also be working with the NFL to offer free COVID-19 rapid tests and vaccinations at the Super Bowl Experience attraction, which will be for two weekends, beginning Feb. 5, at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
In recent weeks, Ferrer has reaffirmed her confidence in mask mandates, coupled with the ability of people and event staff to abide by the county’s public health order.
While public health officials have praised SoFi Stadium staff for reminding people to keep them on, and even turned away some who didn’t, it was clear at Sunday’s NFC title game that the emphasis was on guidance, not enforcement. Signage and video-board reminders preached the message to wear masks. But reality did not live up to that message.
Fans appeared to check in to the stadium wearing masks. But once at their seats, many took them off, and kept them off, whether to eat and drink or otherwise.
Among those who took them off — even just, as they said, momentarily — were high-profile attendees Garcetti and Newsom, who were spotted posing for mask-less photos.
Laker legend Johnson on Sunday night posted a series of photos on Twitter taken that day at SoFi Stadium with mask-less officials and celebrities, including Garcetti, Newsom, San Francisco Mayor London Breed and actor Rob Lowe.
Garcetti and Inglewood Mayor James Butts on Wednesday both highlighted the need for people to exercise personal responsibility and logic while following safety rules. He also defended his own conduct with regard to masks.
“I wore my mask the entire game,” Garcetti said. “And when people ask for a photograph, I hold my breath and put it here, and people could see that. There’s a zero-percent chance of infection from that.”
Garcetti called that common sense.
“People do have a good common sense, in this city and around this country. Some take that too far and say common sense just means free responsibility for everybody to make their own decisions. We know that that kills people. I know that that does not.”
Hanging out at SoFi Stadium today! pic.twitter.com/XfotiRLGz9
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) January 31, 2022
Newsom similarly said at an unrelated news conference in Los Angeles Monday that he was “very judicious” about wearing his mask at the game, and insisted he had his mask in his other hand when the photo with Johnson was taken.
He said he only took the mask off momentarily to take the photo.
“The rest of the time I wore it, as we all should,” said Newsom.
Butts seemed to echo his fellow mayor.
“There’s this thing called personal responsibility,” Butts said. You can’t force everybody to wear a mask all the time … .In the end, it’s the responsibility of the people to take care of themselves, their families and their friends.”
The county’s mask mandate and other COVID guidelines are set by the county Department of Public Health, with guidance from the Board of Supervisors. Along with outdoor mega-events with more than 5,000 attendees, people are required to wear masks in all indoor public settings, venues, gatherings and businesses. The rules allow people to take off their masks when they are actively eating or drinking, are alone in a separate space, showering or swimming or receiving personal care services that require a mask to be removed.
But even as officials urged patience with the mask mandate, it was clear that with a waning surge of omicron, changes could be coming.
Ferrer responded on Wednesday that the department would reevaluate when COVID-19 transmission in the county goes below the “substantial” or “high” classification. Officials are actively thinking about what a “post-surge” will look like.
“We’re constantly looking at the data and trying to figure out what responses make the most sense. You know, we’re still in the surge, I think we reported over 15,000 new cases today, that’s still one of the highest numbers of new cases,” Ferrer said.
Newsom on Monday reiterated his call for the public to wear masks, but he said in the coming weeks the state will announce its “endemic plan” on practices for the state to live with the virus long term.
Mitchell said the county will develop “medically informed plans to relax masking requirements when the surge is over.
In the meantime? “Stay the course,” she said.
City News Service contributed to this story.