City Health Department to Redefine Outdoor, Indoor Mega Events

According to a memo from the city’s Health Director Dr. Ying-Ying Goh, due to decreasing transmission of the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus the city will redefine outdoor mega events in alignment with state guidance, after February 15.

Starting on Wednesday, the city’s health department will redefine outdoor mega events as those events with 10,000 or more attendees, and indoor mega events as those with 1,000 or more attendees.

Currently the thresholds are 5,000 and 500, respectively. Requirements for verification of vaccination status or negative test apply.

“In Pasadena and the surrounding region, we are seeing steady progress in decreasing COVID-19 case rates from the Omicron-driven surge [although still at the highest level of the CDC transmission categories – ‘High Transmission’], decreasing hospitalizations for COVID-19, and steady (though still high) ICU admissions,” according to Goh. “PPHD is utilizing a data informed, risk-based approach to adjust requirements and guidance to protect our community while taking into account the changing landscape.”

According to Goh, Pasadena will coordinate with L.A. County on defining the “post-surge” period as when COVID-19 daily hospitalizations county-wide drop below 2,500 for seven consecutive days.

Once the city reaches the post-surge period, masking will no longer be required in outdoor spaces at outdoor mega events and outdoors at TK-12 schools.

But the masking requirement at indoor establishments will continue until countywide metrics reach moderate transmission (10-49.99 new cases/100,000 persons in the past seven days), as defined by the CDC, for two consecutive weeks or vaccines have been available for children under age five for eight weeks, and there are no emerging reports of significantly circulating new variants of concern that threaten vaccine effectiveness.

Per state order, unvaccinated individuals in indoor public settings and businesses will still be required to wear masks.

State orders also continue to require masking while indoors at K-12 schools, childcare facilities, youth settings, healthcare settings, long term care settings and adult and senior care facilities, correctional facilities, homeless and emergency shelters, and cooling centers.

Federal regulations require masking while on public transit and in transportation hubs.

Employers must continue to provide high quality and well-fitting masks to workers who are in close contact with others until transmission is lower. Vaccination verification will also continue at mega events and indoor sections of bars, lounges, nightclubs, and breweries.