By Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P].
After a spike in COVID-19 positive cases in recent days, the state of California has decided to return to mandatory indoor use of masks as the holiday season approaches.
The California Department of Health (CDPH) said it will begin Wednesday, Dec. 15, and will require the use of masks in all public indoor spaces, regardless of vaccination status.
So far, Governor Gavin Newsom's administration has detailed that the measure will remain in place until at least January 15, 2022, at which time California will make further recommendations as needed in response to the pandemic.
Since Thanksgiving, the statewide average one-week case rate has increased 47 percent, while hospitalizations have increased 14 percent.
Thus, in response to the increase in cases and hospitalizations, and to curb the spread of both the Delta and Omicron variants, which are highly transmissible, CDPH also updated the requirements to attend mega eventssuch as concerts and sporting activities.
Now, prior to attending an event, attendees will require proof of complete vaccination, negative COVID-19 antigen test within one day of the event or a negative PCR test within two days of the event.
In turn, it issued a new travel warning effective immediately to recommend that all visitors to California be tested for COVID-19 within three to five days of arrival, regardless of their vaccination status.
"Our collective actions can save lives this holiday season. We are already seeing a higher level of transmission this winter and it is important to act now to avoid overcrowding our busy hospitals so we can provide quality health care to all Californians," said Dr. Tomas J. Aragon, CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer.
In a statement, he called on all Californians to get vaccinated and to vaccinate children between the ages of 5 and 17, as well as to receive a booster if they are among those eligible - 16 and older.
"Getting your entire family up to date on vaccination is the single most important action you can take to overcome the pandemic and protect yourself from the severe impacts of the virus and its variants. Testing and the use of masks remain important tools to slow the spread," she said.
"Vaccinations and these temporary measures will allow friends and family members to spend the holidays together safely and add critical layers of protection to keep people safe," he said.
It was in mid-June of this year that Governor Newsom announced the state's grand reopening for all those who had already been vaccinated, lifting the mask mandate.
At the time, local governments decided to impose their own mandates on its use, based on the increase in positive cases in their counties.
However, this new order will be mandatory in every county in the state, and in some localities the measures will be stricter, said California Secretary of Health and Human Services Dr. Mark Ghaly.
"We know there will be people who don't necessarily agree with this, who are tired of it, but we hope that they are few and far between, that most people see the purpose of doing this over the next month as something to protect them and their communities during a very difficult time," he said.
California joins other states with similar indoor mouthpiece mandates, including Washington, Oregon, Illinois, New Mexico, Nevada, Hawaii and New York.
It should be noted that positive cases, hospitalizations and deaths occur primarily among unvaccinated populations.
Unvaccinated people were 7.1 times more likely to get COVID-19, based on data from Nov. 21, 2021, to Nov. 27, 2021.
Also, this group of people were 12.5 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 - data from November 14, 2021 to November 20, 2021; and they were 13.0 times more likely to die from COVID-19 - data from November 7, 2021 to November 13, 2021.
The recent emergence of the Omicron variant emphasizes the importance of receiving a vaccine, a booster, and taking the necessary prevention efforts to protect against this disease.
As of December 12, 2021, 24 confirmed cases associated with the Omicron variant have been reported to the state. This number will be updated weekly with the other variants that California is monitoring.
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