Los Angeles County Urges Every Body To Put On Masks Indoors As Delta Variant Spreads

 With the incredibly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus continuing to spread statewide, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is recommending that all residents put on masks in public indoor spaces — regardless of whether they’ve been vaccinated for COVID-19.

Monday’s announcement is one of the clearest alerts yet of just how severely health officials are taking the strain, and the risk it poses, specially to those who have yet to be inoculated.

Officials have stated the available vaccines appear to offer sturdy protection. But there’s significant challenge that those who have yet to receive all their required shots, or any doses at all, remain prone to the Delta variant — which may be twice as transmissible as the conventional coronavirus strains.

More than three in 5 Californians have gotten at least one vaccine dose to date, but fewer than half are totally vaccinated, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. California has one of the nation’s very best vaccination rates, and that has many professionals confident the Delta strain won’t cause the kinds of COVID-19 surges seen over the last year.

While not a new mask mandate, L.A. County is urging that, as a precaution, “people put on masks indoors in settings such as grocery or retail stores; theaters and household entertainment centers, and workplaces when you don’t know everyone’s vaccination status.”

“Until we better understand how and to who the Delta variant is spreading, everybody should focus on maximum safety with minimum interruption to routine as all businesses operate without other restrictions, like physical distancing and capacity limits,” officials wrote in a statement.