Photo: Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times via Getty
Los Angeles County is reissuing a mandate that will require individuals to wear masks while indoors, regardless of theirCOVID-19vaccination status.
On Thursday, exactly one month after itdropped its mask mandate, the countyannouncedthat masks will once again be required for “everyone while indoors” as the location “sees more than a seven-times increase in new cases since the June 15 reopening.”
The updated requirements will take effect on Saturday, July 17 at 11:59 p.m.
The announcement from the Department of Public Health comes amid a growing increase in virus cases in the county, many of which are the highly transmissible Delta variant.
“Tracking the proliferation of the Delta variant is a priority because the Delta variant is more easily spread between people — more than other variants of concern,” the group said.
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Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times via Getty
In a virtual press conference on Thursday, Los Angeles County Public Health Officer Muntu Davis noted, “This is an all-hands-on-deck moment,” according toDeadline.
“Everything is on the table if things continue to get worse. The next level is ‘High Transmission,’ and that’s not a place that we want [to] be,” he added. “We can’t wait for this to go higher before we act.”
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Currently, the Department of Public Health has identified 1,262,578 positive cases of COVID-19 across the West Coast county, as well as a total of 24,566 deaths.
There are currently 406 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19 in Los Angeles county, and 22% of these people are in the ICU.
As of earlier this week, more than 10 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered to people across the area. Of these, 5,946,447 were first doses and 4,763,590 were second doses.
“Becoming fully vaccinated against COVID-19 remains the best protective action that people can take if they are eligible for it,” he added. “Although not at 100%, it significantly reduces the risk of infection and, for the small number of people that get infected, it reduces the risk of hospitalization and death once you are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.”
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source: people.com
