Los Angeles to require everyone to wear face masks at all times while outdoors

Los Angeles is requiring essentially everybody in the city wear a face covering at all times whenever outdoors, a policy Mayor Eric Garcetti says will help the local economy reopen faster. 

Garcetti announced the order on Wednesday evening, telling city residents: "Bring your mask with you whenever you leave your home." 

Children under 2, as well as a limited number of individuals with disabilities, are exempt from the order, the mayor's office said in a press release. 

"Face coverings help stop the spread of the virus," Garcetti, a Democrat, said in the release. "Wearing them whenever we’re away from home will create a meaningful layer of protection for people we might come into contact with, and that makes sense at this stage of our response to the crisis." 

The order came shortly after Garcetti said that the city will "never be completely open" until scientists discover a cure for coronavirus. 

The mayor at the time was partially walking back comments made earlier in the day by Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer, who said Tuesday that the city's stay-at-home order would be extended "with all certainty" for the next three months.