Surgeon General expects more indoor masking amid Delta variant

More counties across the nation may follow Los Angeles’ lead and impose indoor mask mandates as they battle new COVID-19 surges caused by highly contagious Delta variant, US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said Sunday.

“Unfortunately, we are seeing rises, particularly among the unvaccinated in many parts of the country now,”  Murthy told anchor Martha Raddatz on ABC’s “This Week.”

Murthy said with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines on masks, there’s the “flexibility” for local officials to impose mandates to help control outbreaks.

“In areas where there are low numbers of vaccinated people, where cases are rising, it’s very reasonable for counties to take more mitigation measures, like the mask rules coming out of L.A.,” he said. “And I anticipate that will happen in other parts of the country — and that’s not contradictory to the guidances the CDC has issued.”

Los Angeles County restored its indoor mask mandate on Saturday — even for those who have been vaccinated against the virus.

“This is an all-hands-on-deck moment,” said the country’s public health officer, Dr. Muntu Davis, adding that there had been more than 1,000 new cases daily for a week and “substantial community transmission.”

Across the country, around 97% of new cases are among unvaccinated people and at least 58% of those cases were believed to have been caused by the contagious Delta variant, ABC News reported.

Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy.
“We are seeing rises, particularly among the unvaccinated in many parts of the country,” Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy stated.
AP

With Post wires

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