"It will just add a layer of protection while we get through this surge and try to get our case numbers and our transmission way down," Barbara Ferrer, Los Angeles County Health Director said.
RELATED: Why getting a COVID-19 vaccine doesn't mean you should stop mask-wearing
The new mask mandate in LA County says essential workers who leave their house to go to work, and even those who go out to run errands for their family, should put a mask on when they come back home and interact with people.
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Health officials aren't asking people to wear masks statewide - yet.
"We know that a great deal of transmission happens in the household, transmission with people you live with who go out and live their days, they are essential workers. They become infected. They are asymptomatic," Dr. Mark Ghaly, California Secretary of Health & Human Services said.
RELATED: Family says they were kicked off United flight due to 2-year-old's mask violation
"And then they get a high-risk family member infected. So the same rules that help protect you in your workplace can also protect you in your household," Dr. Ghaly said.
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Dr. Ghaly says science supports the notion that in multigenerational households or crowded living arrangements, wearing a mask at home makes sense.
VIDEO: Maskless man charged with assault after forcefully exhaling on women at Trump protest
Maskless man charged with assault after forcefully exhaling on women at Trump protest
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