July 18, 2021- 8:09 p.m.
Surgeon General Vivek Murthy sided with Los Angeles County’s recent measure reinstating mask mandates for all residents inside public spaces regardless of vaccine status, calling it “reasonable” amid the recent uptick in COVID-19 delta variant cases.
The delta variant has emerged as the most common strain of COVID-19 in the United States in recent weeks, accounting for 57% of cases reported between June 20 and July 3, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Areas with higher infection rates share a trend with localities that have fewer vaccination rates, Murthy said, noting there are “millions of people in our country who are not vaccinated.”
“In areas where there are low numbers of vaccinated people, or where cases are rising, it’s very reasonable for counties to take more mitigation measures, like the mask rules that you see coming out in LA,” Murthy told ABC on Sunday, adding, “That’s not contradictory to the guidances the CDC has issued.”
Los Angeles County’s indoor mask mandate went into effect late Saturday but has already been subject to contention, specifically by County Sheriff Alex Villanueva, who announced on Friday that his department would “not expend our limited resources” to enforce the order, noting he is asking for “voluntary compliance.”
At least 12,960 new cases were reported across the U.S. on Sunday, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The highest concentration of outbreaks was reported in Florida and Southern California.
