Written by Destiny Garcia-Rodriguez
Unlike many other states that have lifted mask mandates early on in the pandemic, California Governor Newsom has repeatedly delayed lifting the mask mandate. Even now with new guidelines from the CDC no longer requiring those who are fully vaccinated to wear face coverings, Newsom has decided to prolonged the wait until June 15th, the anticipated date for the reopening of California’s economy along with the lift of several restrictions caused by the pandemic.
Overlooking Biden’s inconsistency regarding the usage of masks, the CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky states, “Anyone who is fully vaccinated can participate in indoor and outdoor activities, large or small, without wearing a mask or physical distancing,”.
By observing those states who have lifted mandates such as these months ago, the cases of Coronavirus have not drastically increased leading to the conclusion that masks have not been a major asset in reducing cases of COVID-19. Texas for example has not had a mask mandate in over 2 months and over the last month has had a 7-day average of around fifty cases. Texas also reported zero covid deaths on Sunday.
San Diego County will participate in state regulations regarding masks until June 15. Nathan Fletcher, Democrat County Supervisor claims that this time will allow for more vaccinations despite over 3 million doses being administered in San Diego and cases on a rapid decline. In Fletcher’s confirmation of following current California guidelines, he said that keeping these guidelines can only have a positive effect by having “an added layer of protection.”
