'It's sort of like we're back to 2020': LA dining scene braces for possible indoor masking return
As Los Angeles hurtles toward a possible return of a countywide indoor mask mandate, restaurateurs and bar owners are bracing for a new wave of backlash and enforcement difficulties — reminiscent of many of their industry's hardships during the pandemic-spurred pivots and rapidly evolving dining regulations of 2020 and 2021.
But in an encouraging development, fresh figures are showing a slight flattening in new infections and hospitalizations. Nonetheless, the dining industry remained on edge.
If Los Angeles County remains in the "high" community level through Thursday, recording at least 10 new weekly coronavirus-positive hospitalizations for every 100,000 residents, a countywide mask mandate would take effect Friday and require masks worn indoors by anyone over the age of 2 in a host of settings: gyms, office spaces, shops, educational facilities, supermarkets and restaurants and bars among them.
Concerns extend far beyond whether the return of indoor masking will decrease sales, as some have already
