Business owners in Los Angeles have the authority to refuse service to patrons who do not wear masks or face coverings while on their premises amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Los Angeles City Council approved the public health safety ordinance Wednesday.
How Coronavirus Has Grown in Each State — in 1 Chart
This chart shows the cumulative number of cases per state by number of days since the 50th case.
Source: The COVID Tracking Project
Credit: Amy O’Kruk/NBC
"Small business owners and their employees are risking their lives to stay afloat in the midst of this economic and public health crisis,'' said Councilman Herb Wesson, who authored the proposed requirement in July. "Wearing a mask saves lives, and this simple, common-sense law will save lives and allow us to beat this virus sooner rather than later."
According to the ordinance, a face covering or mask can be made from a variety of materials such as cotton, silk or linen. A face covering may be factory-made or sewn by hand or can be improvised from household items such as scarfs, T-shirts, sweatshirts or towels.
Coronavirus Deaths in Your City and State — and Across the US
These charts use daily coronavirus death data from Johns Hopkins University to show the seven-day moving average of deaths at the city, state and country level.
The impact of coronavirus varies enormously in the United States from one place to another.
Source: Johns Hopkins University.
Credit: Visuals by Amy O’Kruk/NBC, data analysis by Ron Campbell/NBC
Wesson said his motion came after ``major setbacks'' in July regarding COVID-19 and the response to it in Los Angeles and the state of California. Since then, Los Angeles County has surpassed 7,000 deaths related to the novel coronavirus.
"Koreatown's small business owners should not have to choose between going to work and their safety,'' said Laura Jeon, president of the Korean American Federation Los Angeles. "This motion by Councilman Wesson will go a long way to keeping our small businesses and their employees healthy and, by extension, our community as a whole."
The ordinance was adopted under an urgency clause, meaning it will be in effect immediately, pending Mayor Eric Garcetti's approval, and would end after the city's Safer at Home orders are lifted.
