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Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva has said he will not enforce the reinstated indoor mask mandate because it contradicts guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In a statement on Friday, Villanueva said the department was already underfunded and “will not spend our limited resources” to ensure residents follow the order. Rather, he asked for voluntary compliance.
“Forcing the vaccinated and those who have already contracted Covid-19 to wear masks indoors is not supported by science and contradicts guidelines from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),” said he declared.
Villanueva went on to say that although the county public health department has the power to enforce the ordinance, it encourages the agency to “work in conjunction with the supervisory board and law enforcement to establish mandates that are both achievable and science-backed ”.
California reopened its economy last month. After an increase in coronavirus cases, public health officials announced Thursday that all residents of the country’s most populous county would be required to wear a mask indoors. The mandate – fueled by the accelerating spread of the delta variant – goes into effect Saturday night and will apply to everyone, regardless of their vaccination status. The Department of Public Health said there would be some exceptions to the ordinance.
“The alarming increase in cases, positivity rates and increasing hospitalizations indicate that immediate action must be taken to slow the spread of Covid-19,” said Dr Muntu Davis, county health official, in a press release. “Otherwise, we could quickly see more devastating disease and death among the millions of people.”
The county recorded 1,902 new cases of Covid-19 and six deaths on Friday. The Department of Public Health said in a press release that the new cases show “alarming trends of increasing spread in the community.”
Among these new cases, 71% concern people aged 18 to 49, according to the department. More than 450 people are currently hospitalized with the virus, more than double the 216 hospitalizations reported a month ago.
The county’s test positivity rate also rose to 3.8%. In early June, this rate was close to 0.4%, the department said.
The CDC said people who are fully vaccinated do not need to wear masks indoors or at social distance. The vaccine does not fully protect people against Covid-19 contamination, but it can prevent those who are fully vaccinated from getting sick or seriously ill.
Los Angeles County public health officials have said new cases of the coronavirus among fully vaccinated residents are low but remain a concern. Of the more than 4 million fully vaccinated people, there were 4,122 confirmed cases on Tuesday, according to the press release.
“Without physical distancing and capacity limits for a period of substantial community spread, masking by everyone inside is a simple and effective action we can all take to reduce the risk of transmission while limiting disruption to the community. capacity and normal business operations, ”Davis said in the release. . “The urgency to vaccinate more people remains high with this level of spread. For all of those who are eligible and are still waiting to get vaccinated, now is the time to do it. “
Many have criticized the county ordinance, with some calling it a step backwards.
“Vaccinated people do not need to wear masks, medical experts have made it clear,” Kevin Faulconer, who is also seeking to overthrow Governor Gavin Newsom, said in a statement. “We need to reopen our state, not reimpose unnecessary restrictions. If Gavin Newsom had any common sense he would object to this, which is what I will do as governor.
Former Olympian and current gubernatorial candidate Caitlyn Jenner tweeted: “This is Gavin’s 2.0 shutdown.”
Newsom did not issue the mask warrant and did not comment on the order.
Seven other California counties, including San Francisco and Alameda, issued mask recommendations on Friday in response to Los Angeles’ policy change. Sacramento and Yolo counties issued indoor mask recommendations earlier this week, even before Los Angeles tightened its restrictions.
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