San Diego County health officials recommend following CDC's new guidelines on masks.
After weeks of insisting fully vaccinated people could shed face coverings in most situations, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reversed course Tuesday and recommended mask-wearing indoors for everyone, regardless of vaccination status, in areas experiencing "high" or "substantial" COVID-19 transmission. San Diego County along with Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties are all currently listed by the CDC as having "high" transmission rates.
Los Angeles County implemented a mask-wearing mandate in indoor public settings for everyone earlier this month, citing spiking cases attributed to spread of the highly contagious Delta variant of COVID-19. After Tuesday's announcement, San Diego County said it would recommend following the CDC's recommendation:
"The rate of COVID-19 cases in San Diego County is rated 'high' by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. New research reveals the Delta variant is much more transmissible and expected to lead to a growing number of cases in vaccinated individuals while primarily striking the unvaccinated. The County of San Diego will follow the latest CDC guidance in recommending the universal wearing of masks by both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals in indoor public settings. Masks are an added measure; vaccinations are critical for getting back to the things we love," a county statement read.
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