Starting at 11:59pm on Saturday, everyone in Los Angeles County will be required to wear a mask while indoors in public spaces, whether they're vaccinated or not. The California county announced the reversal on Thursday, exactly one month after the statewide mask mandate was dropped, ABC 7 reports. Just before that reopening date of June 15, California's positivity rate was at its lowest point of the pandemic, 0.7%. But thanks in part to cases rising in LA County as the Delta variant surges, the rate is now at 3%, CNN reports. For seven consecutive days, new cases have numbered more than 1,000 per day in the county, and on Thursday, they hit their highest number since early March: 1,537.
The county's health officer said the area is simply "not where we need to be" with regard to vaccinations, and "waiting to do something would be too late," CBS 2 reports. Statewide, more than 60% of residents are fully vaccinated, and in LA County the percentage is 61% for those over age 16 but closer to 51% for all residents of any age, Deadline reports. As of earlier this week, none of the county's hospitalized COVID-19 patients had been vaccinated. Officials say some exemptions from the mandate will be allowed, similar to what was in place before California reopened. Sacramento County made a similar move Thursday, though it's just recommending that masks be worn indoors. Yolo County did the same, NBC Bay Area reports, and Alameda County said it may do so soon.
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