A protective face mask lies on the sidewalk in New York City on Oct. 26. (Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)

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WASHINGTON — Coronavirus infection rates rose steadily through the first half of November across Los Angeles County, then began to climb sharply around the long Thanksgiving weekend.

As a result, on Dec. 1, the county’s public health director, Dr. Barbara Ferrer, made an announcement that some had been hoping for and others had been dreading: An indoor mask mandate could be coming back for the county’s 10 million residents.

“L.A. County will follow the CDC guidance for communities designated at the ‘high community level,’ including universal indoor masking,” Ferrer said, referencing