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Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said on Friday his department would not apply an LA County mask order, saying it is “not backed by science”.
Driving the news: Villanueva’s statement comes a day after LA County officials announced a new mask warrant for residents of indoor public places, regardless of immunization status, starting at 11:59 p.m. Saturday.
What he says : “Forcing vaccinees 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 Villanueva said in a statement.
- “The underfunded / funded Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department will not spend our limited resources and instead seek voluntary compliance,” he added.
The big picture: The order for masks comes amid rising coronavirus cases in the county.
- For the seven-day period that ended Wednesday, the county average was 1,077 new cases per day. The county reported an additional 1,537 cases on Thursday, according to the Los Angeles Times.
- Unvaccinated people make up the vast majority of new hospitalizations, cases and deaths.
- Between December 7 and June 7, the unvaccinated accounted for 99.6% of the county’s coronavirus cases, 98.7% of COVID-19 hospitalizations and 99.8% of deaths, according to the Times.
- Among the Los Angeles County population, 69% of eligible people have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 61% are fully vaccinated, according to county data.
- The California Department of Public Health and CDC maintain that vaccinated people do not need to wear masks indoors, according to the Times.
Zoom out: Bay Area health officials are also urging all residents to wear masks indoors as cases of the highly contagious delta variant increase, according to CBS News.
- Officials in Las Vegas, Nevada, are advising everyone – vaccinated or not – to wear face coverings in crowds and indoor venues amid rising coronavirus cases, AP reports.
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