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UPDATE (12:56 p.m.) – Santa Barbara County has announced that the warrant will take effect at 5 p.m. on Friday, August 6.
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The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department has confirmed that a county-wide mask warrant will take effect at the end of the week.
In a statement written by health worker Dr Henning Ansorg, anyone two years of age and older will be required to wear a mask in indoor public places and shared workplaces. This prescription applies to both vaccinated and unvaccinated people.
It is effective from Friday August 6.
Ansorg says the warrant, which was first reported on Tuesday, is a temporary measure as the county reacts to a rapid increase in cases.
In the statement, the health worker detailed the Delta variant, which accounted for more than 85% of new cases seen nationwide.
Ansorg said that although the symptoms of the Delta variant appear to be the same, the new strain is more contagious and more easily transmitted. It appears to affect young people more than the original strain of the virus.
The health worker advocated for the vaccine to limit infection and spread of the variant. He said 1 in 7 new cases appear in a person who has been vaccinated.
Ansorg said the vaccine prevents infection with the Delta variant by 82%. It offers about 90% protection against serious illness and hospitalization and almost 100% against death from COVID-19.
Currently, 97% of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 are not vaccinated.
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