COVID: Monterey, San Benito, Santa Cruz Health Officers Join Calls To Mask Indoors Amid Delta Variant
SANTA CRUZ (CBS SF) – Health officers in the Monterey Bay area joined others across the state urging people to again wear masks at indoor public places, as the delta variant drives rising COVID-19 cases among the unvaccinated.
The health officers in Monterey, Napa, San Benito and Santa Cruz counties made the recommendation in a joint statement Monday. Businesses are also urged to adopt universal masking requirements for customers entering indoor areas of establishments.
"Out of an abundance of caution, people are recommended to wear masks indoors in places like grocery or retail stores, theaters, and family entertainment centers, even if they are fully vaccinated," the officers said.
Health officials said the variant is spreading quickly and is causing a rising amount of hospitalizations among the unvaccinated. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the Delta variant now constitutes more than half of new infections across the country.
The California Department of Public health announced the state's 7-day positivity rate has risen to 4.1% as of Monday, up from 0.8% when the state fully reopened the economy on June 15.
Last week, health officers in nearly all Bay Area counties urged people to again wear masks indoors regardless of vaccination status. Meanwhile Los Angeles County, the state's most populated, reinstituted an indoor mask mandate for all over the weekend.
Along with masking indoors, officials urged people 12 and older who have yet to receive their COVID-19 vaccines to schedule an appointment, noting the vaccines have been effective against the variants. Appointments can be made through the state's MyTurn website.
