Breaking: California orders indoor mask mandate over Omicron spike, regardless of vaccination status
California announced the reinstitution of an indoor mask mandate over a rise in Omicron variant cases of the coronavirus. The mandate would apply to everyone regardless of their vaccination status.
The mandate will commence on Wednesday, said health officials, and will remain in place until at least Jan. 15.
California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said that there has been a 47% rise in coronavirus cases since Thanksgiving, with statewide cases going from 9.5 in every 100,000 people to 14 in every 100,000.
"We know people are tired and hungry for normalcy. Frankly, I am too," Ghaly said. "That said, this is a critical time where we have a tool that we know has worked and can work."
The state is also increasing social distancing restrictions for those who travel to California and for unvaccinated people who attend indoor events hosting more than 1,000 individuals.
"As we look at the evidence that masks do make a difference, even a 10% increase in indoor masking can reduce case transmission significantly," Ghaly explained.
Also on Monday, officials said that deaths from coronavirus nationwide had officially surpassed the 800,000 mark.
Health officials in California have previously reported that the Omicron variant appeared to have been present in wastewater samples before it was even identified by the World Health Organization as a variant.
"We know that there's going to be people who don't necessarily agree with this, who are tired, who aren't going to mask," Ghaly concluded. "We hope that those are few and far between, that most people see the purpose of doing this over the next month as something to protect them and their communities during a very tough time."
Here's more about the mandate in California:
CA reinstates indoor mask mandate for one month amid new COVID-19 increase l ABC7www.youtube.com
Gov. Gavin Newsom says outdoor mask mandates could be lifted by June 15
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) says that mask mandates and other COVID-19-related restrictions could be eased or altogether lifted by June 15, the Los Angeles Times reported on Wednesday.
What are the details?
Newsom said Wednesday that the state could "significantly ease its mask mandates" over the next several weeks, the outlet reported, citing the continued decline of COVID-19 infections and increase in vaccinations.
On June 15, Newsom said, "we'll move beyond the blueprint and we'll be in a completely different space."
"We will be updating our mask guidelines, outdoor masking, if we reach that threshold where we hope to be ... in fact, it will be eliminated, those mandates," he said. "They'll be guidelines or recommendations."
The California Democrat continued, "But for indoor activities, we will still have, likely, some mask guidelines and mandates. But we hope, sooner than later, that those will be lifted as well."
Earlier this week, Newsom said that the timeline following the June 15 date could look a lot like life did before the pandemic turned the world on its head.
"That world looks a lot like the world we entered into before the pandemic," he said. "We're not wearing face coverings. We're not restricted in any way, shape, or form of doing the old things that we used to do."
Other than large-scale indoor events, Newsom added, the government plans to "make guidance" and "recommendations," but vows that there won't be any further mandates or restrictions on businesses.
What else?
The outlet states that Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, who is professor of medicine and an infectious disease expert at UC San Francisco, said that he believes there is still reason to be cautious about removing masks while indoors.
“I don't think we're there yet," he said. “Even if you are vaccinated, the more people you bring together, the higher the chance of nonresponders getting together where they can transmit.
He added that the larger the group is, the higher the chance exists that some people are not fully protected against the virus and could transmit or be infected with coronavirus.
He also noted that many people might continue to wear masks out of habit or for personal reasons that have nothing to do with COVID-19.
Chin-Hong added that it's important for people to realize that they have "control" over how they can respond to the pandemic, or even the garden-variety cold or flu.
“Essentially, it's one thing that we have control over in the pandemic," he reasoned. “And if, at the end of the day, we have better acceptance of people wearing masks to protect other people when they have a cold or something, I'm all for that."
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