Los Angeles County eases COVID-19 indoor mask mandate

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles County will begin allowing people to remove their masks while indoors if they are vaccinated as the omicron winter surge eases. California’s most populous county says it will relax its public health order on Friday to allow unmasking at restaurants, bars and other businesses for people who show proof of vaccination. Unvaccinated customers must continue to wear masks indoors. The move comes as the county’s COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations plummet. The county lagged behind the state as a whole, which lifted its indoor mask mandate for vaccinated people last week. Most of California’s 58 counties quickly followed suit. However, Santa Clara County still requires universal indoor masking.