Los Angeles Mayor Advises Residents to Wear Masks Amid COVID-19 Crisis

On Wednesday, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti advised residents to wear masks to protect themselves outside as California paces behind New York in confirmed COVID-19 cases, during a press conference. After the meeting, the Los Angeles Daily News reported that Mayor Garcetti also encouraged people to construct their own non-medical face masks to prevent the shortage of professional masks on the market.

“To be clear, you should still stay at home. This isn’t an excuse to suddenly all go out,” Mayor Garcetti stated during the conference.

He also took to Twitter to spread the news for those who weren’t able to tune in.

Early data suggests many who are infected are not symptomatic, which is why we are recommending you use cloth face coverings plus physical distancing for essential activities.

Do not use surgical and N95 masks, which are reserved for first responders and medical workers.

— MayorOfLA (@MayorOfLA) April 2, 2020

With over 200,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in America and death tolls exceeding 4,000 people, government officials are taking serious precautions to flatten the curve.

Related: Democratic Lawmakers Want to Collect Racial Data on Virus Testing in the Wake of COVID-19

On Twitter, Mayor Garcetti also shared that his call to action is making a difference.

“Our city’s #LAProtects initiative is already yielding results in producing non-medical masks for frontline workers. So far, 147 garment and apparel companies have met our requirements. This effort will make a meaningful difference for workers across our city,” he wrote.

During the press conference, Mayor Garcetti highlighted other parts of the world like South Korea where the spread of COVID-19 has been slow given the normality of wearing masks. He also rolled out the hashtag #ProtectLA to encourage residents to show their pride in wearing masks in public.

As the nation adapts to the new normal, be sure to stay in the loop on how COVID-19 is impacting the black community. Click here for all the coronavirus news you need.