indoor masking mandate this week if conditions did not improve.

But after taking into account county data showing that COVID-19-related transmission and hospitalization rates were decreasing, Ferrer — to the relief of many in the business community — announced Thursday that her department will not move forward with a mandate at this point.

“We applaud and align with public health officials who heard business voices, took the pulse of Angelenos at large and carefully mapped the trajectory of coronavirus data before handing down their no-mandate verdict,” Tracy Hernandez, CEO of the Los Angeles County Business Federation said in a statement shortly after the announcement.

“This is democracy at work,” she said. “Business owners spoke up and county leaders listened. The decision to lean on voluntary masking and public education at this stage of the endemic is smart and sensible.”

The Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce also said it was “grateful” that the county was not moving ahead with a mandate.

Over the past couple of weeks, business organizations and owners, and even County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, had contacted county officials, urging them not to reinstitute an indoor masking requirement, saying it would put L.A. County businesses at an unfair disadvantage against competitors in nearby counties that do not require customers to don face masks.

Dozens of counties in California are in the “high” community level, according to the CDC, but L.A. was the only one to consider bringing back an indoor masking mandate.

Pat Anderson, president and CEO of the La Cañada Flintridge Chamber of Commerce and Community Association, said Thursday that circumstances are much different now than at the start of the pandemic, and that society has learned to live with the coronavirus.

“To maintain public trust in government and to support the business community as it continues to struggle with meeting requirements for supplies, work force, and other regulations, it seems superfluous to ‘mandate’ wearing a mask, indoors or outside,” she wrote in an email. “We are all responsible adults. Keep the masking ‘optional.’ ”

Donna Duperron, president and CEO of the Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce, said her members are happy they won’t have to enforce the mandate.

Like Anderson, she said society is in a different place today and can respond to the coronavirus differently, given what people now know about the virus, measures to protect themselves, and treatments available for those who are infected.

“Because of the education that we have all been made aware of, the resources that have been made available to us, I think everybody is hopeful that a positive change can be made,” Anderson said.

Across the county, business owners expressed relief.

Rick Hankus, owner of the Java Man coffee shop and Ocean Diner restaurant in Hermosa Beach, said he follows all U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention protocols but did not want more burden placed on his employees.

“They shouldn’t have to police it. I think it’s unfair to them,” Hankus said of a mask mandate.

Restaurant owners have gone through enough over the past 2½ years, he said.

“We’re just trying to focus on getting our businesses up and running,” Hankus said.

Jennifer Febre, owner of MacLeod Ale Brewing Co. in Van Nuys, conducted an informal poll on Twitter this week, to find out what percent of people would react to an L.A. County mask mandate by staying at home, what percent would drive to another county to dine or shop, and what percent would wear a mask to dine or shop in L.A. County.

More than 23% of respondents said they’d stay home or travel elsewhere. About 77% said they would wear a mask if a mandate was ordered. But Febre expressed concern that businesses like hers would still see their bottom line affected by customers who would opt to stay home or take their business to a county without a masking requirement.

She called the idea of ordering businesses to comply with another indoor masking mandate a “Swiss cheese policy.”

“There are so many holes in the mandate,” Febre said. “It’s not going to make any difference in the numbers (of COVID-19 transmissions or hospitalizations). And it’s only going to harm businesses.”

While many businesses have voiced opposition to another mandate, some support required face coverings.

Justin Tipton, president of the Whittier Uptown Association, said the businesses his organization represents have been split on this issue since the start of the pandemic.

“Some have always been for the mask and some have always opposed the mask,” he said. “If I were to go out there today and ask the same question, most likely it would be split again.”

Staff writers Michael Hixon and Mike Sprague contributed to this report.