The California Department of Public Health has announced new masking recommendations for indoor public settings in response to rising transmission rates of the contagious delta variant of the coronavirus.
Similar guidelines were released this week by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The updated guidelines apply to all Californians, regardless of vaccination status.
"The delta variant has caused a sharp increase in hospitalizations and case rates across the state. We are recommending masking in indoor public places to slow the spread while we continue efforts to get more Californians vaccinated," said Dr. Tomás Aragón, California Department of Public Health director and state public health officer.
Among those required to wear face masks indoors as part of the guidance, California's adult and senior care facilities were added to the list on Wednesday. That growing list includes homeless shelters, K-12 schools, emergency shelters and cooling centers, among other settings.
Earlier this week, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that millions of state employees and health care workers would be required to be inoculated for COVID-19 or be tested for infections on a weekly basis.
More than 90% of the state's population resides in areas with substantial or high transmission of the virus, according to health officials.
"You can see case rates going up, pretty much everywhere," Dr. Dean Blumberg, Chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at UC Davis Health, told KCBS Radio's Eric Thomas on Wednesday.
"And it's due to the delta variant and the combination (with) the end of lockdown. There's more opportunities for transmission, and then the delta variant is twice as infectious as previously circulating strains."
Many of the counties in the Bay Area – except for Solano – have already recommended masking indoors. Others in the state, including Los Angeles and Yolo counties, have mandated wearing masks indoors.
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