People are now required to wear masks or face coverings while in public in Los Angeles, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced Wednesday as part of an executive order.
The order excludes children under 2 years old and people with disabilities who already had respiratory problems.
"You never know when you're going to bump into somebody around a corner in a park and see somebody," Garcetti said. "Have your mask with you when you leave your house."
Face coverings or masks were already required by several SoCal transportation agencies, many of which ordered the requirement for their riders beginning Monday.
The city has been deterring people who are 65 and older or people with preexisting conditions related to respiratory issues to go outside during the pandemic.
As of Wednesday, Los Angeles County reported 34,428 cases of coronavirus and 1,659 deaths. The county has loosened more restrictions this week on retail businesses and recreation centers that were included in the region's Safer at Home order, a new version of which was released Wednesday.
"Today's orders also simplify this for all Angelenos. We're requiring all Angelenos, except for small children or those with disabilities that might be harmed by a face mask, to wear a face covering," Garcetti said. "This is really tough work. And I want to remind you, this is about saving the lives of people we know. It pisses me off when I hear people say, `Oh, those are just old people.'
"Because you know that so many of the people that are dying are our parents and our grandparents and our neighbors. Many of them are veterans who have served our country."
Photos: This Is Daily Life Around SoCal in the Shadow of the Coronavirus Pandemic
Garcetti also said motorized vehicles would be banned from certain streets, this weekend to allow people to have more space when biking and walking.
No details of which streets would be partially or completely closed were provided by Garcetti.
