Written by Jeremy Mittman

Last week, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health issued a new order amid the rapid spread of the omicron COVID-19 variant.

Notably, under the new order employers are required to provide medical-grade masks to their employees who work indoors and in close contact with others as soon as possible, but no later than January 17, 2022.

The new rule states that employers must provide employees with and require them to wear a “well-fitting medical grade mask, surgical mask or higher-level respirator, such as an N95 filtering face piece respirator or KN95.”

In addition to complying with the new public health order, Los Angeles employers should continue to comply with the Cal-OSHA COVID-19 Prevention Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS).