Back to masks: California urges indoor face coverings as COVID variant spreads
After weeks of rising COVID-19 cases, California public health officials on Wednesday recommended all residents wear face coverings in indoor public settings regardless of their vaccination status.
The announcement follows new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which on Tuesday called for most people to wear masks indoors to slow the spread of the highly transmissible COVID-19 Delta variant.
“The Delta variant has caused a sharp increase in hospitalizations and case rates across the state. We are recommending masking in indoor public places to slow the spread while we continue efforts to get more Californians vaccinated,” Dr. Tomás J. Aragón, CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer, said in a statement.
The new CDC guidance recommends indoor masks for communities it regards as having substantial or high transmission rates of COVID-19. More than 90% of California’s population lives in communities with those designations.
At the start of July, California’s seven-day average COVID-19 case rate was 1.2 cases per 100,000 people. On Wednesday, the seven-day average was 12.7 cases per 100,000 people.
The hot spots include Sacramento County, which currently has a 7.4% positivity rate and is labeled an area of “high spread” by the federal agency’s standards, which is a more severe category than “substantial.”
Hospitalizations are also starting to climb again.
On Wednesday, California reported 374 more patients hospitalized due to COVID-19, a daily increase of 10.4%.
In total, state data show 3,968 people were hospitalized with the virus in California as of Tuesday. That’s significantly lower than the peak in January, when more than 20,000 Californians were hospitalized with COVID-19.
During a Monday press conference, Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state’s projections were “sobering,” and he warned of another surge in hospitalizations if Californians don’t take additional measures to protect themselves against the virus.
In an effort to drive up stalled vaccination rates, Newsom also announced a new requirement for state and health care employees to provide proof of vaccination or submit to regular coronavirus testing. The state has also required universal masking in K-12 schools this coming fall, a mandate that’s being challenged in court by two parent advocacy groups.
Newsom, who is facing a recall election in September, has so far declined to issue another order directing people to wear masks. The new guidance from his health department is a recommendation.
Instead, he’s focusing on vaccination as a tool to fight this latest surge and keep California’s economy open.
State records show, as of Wednesday, 62.3% of eligible Californians are fully vaccinated.
“Too many people have chosen to live with this virus,” Newsom said Monday. “We are at a point in this pandemic where individuals’ choice not to get vaccinated is now impacting the rest of us, in a profound, devastating and deadly way.”
Republican recall candidate John Cox condemned the latest mask recommendation, calling it “nonsensical and counterproductive.”
“I strongly oppose Gavin Newsom’s latest mask mandate,” Cox said in a statement, even though the guidance isn’t a requirement. “It sends the wrong message on vaccinations and reopening our state.”
This story was originally published July 28, 2021 at 12:38 PM with the headline "Back to masks: California urges indoor face coverings as COVID variant spreads."