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The mayor of Orange County, Florida is asking residents to wear face masks indoors again as the county faces rising rates of COVID-19 positivity.
“I am announcing today that it is my official recommendation that Orange County revert to the status in which it is recommended that all vaccinated and unvaccinated residents consider wearing face coverings indoors when find themselves in crowded environments, ”Mayor Jerry Demings said in an ad reported by a local NPR affiliate station.
As a community, let’s build immunity against COVID-19: https://t.co/luD7g03a0n
Since July 12:
✅ 59.69% of Orange County 12+ residents received at least one dose of the vaccine
✅ Orange County 14-day rolling positivity rate: 7.78%Let’s fill this orange! #IGotMyShot pic.twitter.com/PMvrb1MfEd
– Orange County FL (@OrangeCoFL) July 12, 2021
Officials say the increasing cases are largely among the unvaccinated.
“It makes a lot of sense what the mayor has just announced. For those who are going to go to crowded indoor environments, everyone should be masked, ”said medical director Dr Raul Pino. “If you want to protect yourself. It’s your choice, it’s your decision, it’s not a mandate. ”
The announcement comes as the delta variant of COVID-19 is spreading faster and becoming the dominant strain in the United States. Antoine Fauci
Anthony Fauci Israel delivers third dose of Pfizer to adults with weakened immune systems Fauci: ‘horrifying’ to hear CPAC crowd applaud anti-vaccination remarks Ocasio-Cortez hits Boebert to call for an end to extra unemployment benefits MORE called the delta strain of the coronavirus a “nasty variant” in an interview on Sunday.
“The bad news is that we have a very nasty variant. The good news is that we have a vaccine that works against it,” Fauci said.
The delta variant is believed to spread much more easily than the original strain and alpha variant of the virus first discovered in Britain, and can cause much more serious illness.
Those most at risk of infection are unvaccinated adults and children who are not yet eligible for vaccination. The risk of severe disease from the delta variant is likely higher for unvaccinated adults, but experts are still concerned that children may be at risk.
Cases of the virus have increased in nearly every state as the delta variant spreads and states relax pandemic restrictions such as mask warrants and social distancing requirements.
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