In a major shift this week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control said people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can safely stop wearing face coverings in most indoor and outdoor situations, but Long Beach residents will have to keep their masks on at least for now as the city waits for California to decide whether it will adjust its rules, health officials said Friday.
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California has not yet adopted the CDC’s new guidelines, and it’s not clear when the state will make changes. Gov. Gavin Newsom earlier this week said the state will eliminate its outdoor mask mandates when California fully reopens on June 15.
Shortly after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention s immunization advisory committee voted Wednesday to approve the use of the Pfizer vaccine on the younger age group, the city of Long Beach announced it would begin offering the shot to those aged 12 to 15 starting Thursday.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health also quickly cleared its sites and other providers in the county to begin offering the inoculations starting Thursday. Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said there are about 500,000 county residents aged 12 to 15. It is a key group of individuals for us to reach so that we can increase our coverage in terms of the county s total population, Ferrer said Thursday.
Do you still have to wear a mask in California?
By Alexi Chidbachian article
LOS ANGELES - As more people get vaccinated against COVID-19, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eased their mask-wearing guidance.
On Thursday they announced that fully vaccinated people can stop wearing masks in most indoor and outdoor settings.
The guidance still calls for wearing masks in crowded indoor settings like buses, planes, hospitals, prisons and homeless shelters, but it will help clear the way for reopening workplaces, schools and other venues even removing the need for social distancing for those who are fully vaccinated.
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Some health experts are questioning whether federal officials moved too fast in relaxing mask recommendations that would allow for people fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to shed face coverings in most indoor and outdoor settings. And they are suggesting California and local leaders move a bit more cautiously in easing mask mandates.
Dr. John Swartzberg, a clinical professor emeritus of the UC Berkeley School of Public Health’s infectious diseases division, said, “There is good science to support changing our policy. On the other hand, I’m surprised they came out with it this soon. I would’ve liked to have had another month under my belt of seeing the numbers continue to come down.”