California will join New York and six other states in reimposing indoor mask mandates for both vaccine and unvaccinated people, though some state officials say they will leave the mandates.
People shop at a store in Hollywood, California, on July 19, 2021. The number of Covid-19 cases in LA County has gone over 1,000 for the 11th day in a row. Photo by ROBYN BECK/AFP.
The images are from the same source.
The state will require those attending events of 1,000 or more people to show proof of a negative test within a day or two for a vaccine or an antigen test. Dr. Mark Ghaly made the announcement Monday.
The announcement recommended that people who traveled out of state should be tested within three to five days of returning.
All counties without vaccine mandates are required to enforce a mask mandate for indoor businesses with fines up to $1,000.
Certain counties with substantial transmission in Hawaii, Illinois and Nevada already have indoor mask mandates in effect for both vaccine and unvaccinated people.
Governors of Massachusetts, Colorado and New Hampshire have said they will not impose indoor mask mandates on a statewide basis.
The British Medical Journal published data last month that showed a decrease in deaths related to Covid-19 in countries that required mask-wearing. In May, the National Institutes of Health published data showing a 29% reduction in Covid-19 transmission in the U.S.
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A preprint, not-yet-peer-reviewed article out of Oxford University shows that recipients of the Pfizer and AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines failed to neutralize against the omicron variant, with evidence of some failing to do so. A study from the Africa Health and Research Institute found similar results, though the data was based on a small group of people. The studies found that the booster shot could increase protection against disease.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, as of Monday, there were at least 16 states that had detected the omicron variant.
