California’s public health department backtracked on its initial guidance in June and sided with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in recommending that vaccinated Californians should wear masks indoors in public places.
“The delta variant has caused a sharp increase in the hospitalizations and case rates across the state,” state Public Health Director and Officer Dr. Tomas J. Aragon said on Wednesday.
“We are recommending masking in indoor public places to slow the spread while we continue efforts to get more Californians vaccinated.”
Throughout the week, Gov. Gavin Newsom touted the Golden State as a model of vaccination, noting the state’s 75 percent vaccination rate.
The revision from Federal public health officials, who initial dropped mask requirements for vaccinated Americans in May, has led to growing questions of whether an eventual turn to masks will ultimately backfire as it undercuts one of the biggest initial selling points for vaccines: the end of using masks.
