Face Coverings Required In Beverly Hills, LA County Expected To Follow Suit Next Week
BEVERLY HILLS (CBSLA) — The order requiring everyone in Beverly Hills to wear a face covering while in public has gone into effect, and those violating the mandate could face a fine of up to $1,000.
"I think it's a day-to-day thing," Mindy Laks, a Beverly Hills resident, said. "It's sometimes a minute-to-minute thing, hour-to-hour."
The Laks family, like so many, has been trying to roll with the punches — including today's announcement that Los Angeles County has extended its Safer at Home order until May 15 to stop further spread of the novel coronavirus.
"It is what it is," daughter Ruby Laks said. "And as long as we're safe, it's OK."
The latest restrictions are a lot to take in, but health officials Friday said that they are working, which is why they needed to be extended.
A new model released by the county showed that if restrictions were to be lifted, nearly 96% of county residents would be infected by Aug. 1.
But they predict that will not come to pass if people continue to stay at home and keep their distance from one another.
"We project that we'll be able to reduce the overall infection rate among the community down to 30%," Dr. Christina Ghaly, director of the L.A. County Department of Health Services, said. "It's a huge decline."
And Ghaly said she understands that these restrictions come with a personal and economic cost. One of those paying it is Shige Yamada, the owner of Sushi Sushi in Beverly Hills.
"I want to stay alive to keep going," he said.
When he talks about staying alive, he's not just talking about his own health, but that of his restaurant, which has started including a cloth mask made by his wife with every take out order.
And another five weeks under the county's Safer at Home order is worrisome.
"Of course," Yamada said. "Business is way down."
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But across the street, Urth Cafe manager Janiece Garza was a little more confident.
"We've adapted, and kind of just joke about it with the customers," she said. "But we're all just praying everything comes back to normal."
But things right now are anything but normal, it's clear looking around the streets of Beverly Hills where everyone is now required to wear a face covering in public or face up to a $1,000 fine.
"I think it makes the decision really easy," Eric Cohen, a Beverly Hills resident, said. "If you ask somebody, "Are you gonna do this or not do this," it really puts a lot of pressure on anxiety. This just makes it universal, we all need to put our masks on."
And health officials said Friday that the same mask rules in place in Beverly Hills will go into effect countywide next week.