LOS ANGELES—Amid a spike in COVID-19 cases, students in Los Angeles County must wear masks outdoors where physical distancing is difficult as they return to school, while staff will be required to wear medical-grade masks, according to the county health department’s guidelines updated Jan. 1. Barbara Ferrer, director of the Los Angeles County Public Health Department, released updated health orders for the upcoming school year “in response to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.” Both students and staff are required to wear masks “for all outdoor activities where physical distancing is not feasible, except while eating or drinking,” and staff is required to wear “upgraded masks”—surgical masks or “higher-level [personal protective equipment].” As for whether students should upgrade their masks, Los Angeles County is leaving the decision up to the parents though students are “strongly recommended” to wear “well-fitting, non-cloth masks of multiple layers of non-woven material with a …