Posted on Dec. 2021 at 7:45
It is one of the very first weapons in the fight against Covid-19. And it is proving, even today, essential to curb the epidemic. In California, but also in New York, wearing a mask is once again compulsory in all enclosed public places. Objective: to break an exponential contaminations curve.
The obligation goes into effect Wednesday in California. It will apply to all individuals, whether vaccinated or not, authorities said. In New York, the measure has already been applied since Monday. It is compulsory, unless companies or public places require proof of vaccination. And any violation of this rule is punishable by a fine of 1,000 dollars.
Impact de Thanksgiving
Several states, including Washington, Oregon, Illinois, New Mexico, Nevada or Hawaii, have already taken similar measures. In California, Los Angeles, San Francisco and other counties had already reinstated this obligation at the local level for months. But other counties, such as Orange and San Diego, which are very populous, were content to apply the rules imposed by the state: wearing a mask in certain public places, such as airports, hospitals or schools, but not shops, restaurants or cinemas for example.
California Health Secretary Mark Ghaly justified the decision with the rapid rise in Covid-19 cases. They are up 47% since the Thanksgiving family holidays at the end of November. The number of new daily cases of coronavirus in California has thus fallen from 9.6 per 100,000 to 14 per 100,000 in this period of time. Wearing a mask could, according to Mark Ghaly, prevent the outbreak of contaminations and deaths that the state experienced last winter.
Tighter rules for the unvaccinated
“This is a critical time and we have a tool that we know has worked […]. If we look at the evidence of its effectiveness, even an increase in the wearing of a mask indoors by 10% can significantly reduce transmissions, ”he pleaded. This obligation will remain in effect until January 15.
California has also tightened requirements for unvaccinated people wishing to attend events with more than 1,000 participants in an enclosed space. They will therefore have to provide a negative Covid test dating back less than 24 or 48 hours (depending on the type of test), against 72 hours previously.
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