Delta Variant Prompts Indoor Mask Reuse in LA, While New York Drops Masks

LA County says "Wear masks even if vaccinated"
New York City says "Fully vaccinated officials don't have to wear masks in the office"

On May 23rd (local time), citizens were shopping wearing masks at a Walmart in Vernon Hills, Illinois, USA. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) changed its guidelines on the 13th of the same month, stating that people who have completed vaccination do not need to wear masks both outdoors and indoors. [Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] New York and Los Angeles (LA), considered the cities most affected by COVID-19 in the United States, have made completely opposite decisions regarding indoor mask-wearing.

While LA believes that even those who are fully vaccinated must wear masks, New York stated that vaccinated public officials do not need to wear masks in their offices.

According to the New York Times (NYT) on the 29th (local time), the LA County Department of Public Health strongly recommended that all residents wear masks indoors regardless of vaccination status due to the spread of the Delta variant.

This decision contradicts the guidelines announced by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in mid-last month, which stated that fully vaccinated individuals could remove masks in most situations except medical facilities and public transportation.

LA County said, "As a preventive measure against the Delta variant," "please wear masks in grocery stores, retail stores, theaters, family play areas, and even workplaces when you do not know others' vaccination status."

On the other hand, New York City announced on the same day that vaccinated city hall employees do not need to wear masks or maintain social distancing in their offices. However, those engaged in face-to-face work are exceptions.

Experts unanimously agree that vaccination is the most effective preventive measure. In fact, in the two cities where half the population is fully vaccinated, the average daily number of Delta variant infections over the past seven days was only 2 to 3 per 100,000 people.

The reason New York and LA have taken contrasting measures against the Delta variant is analyzed to be due to the differing proportions of Delta variant cases among new infections. As of the 12th, 50% of new cases in LA and 22.7% in New York were infections with the Delta variant.

LA County stated, "Before understanding how and to whom the Delta variant spreads, everyone should take maximum preventive measures." However, it added, "Social distancing or capacity limits are not necessary."

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said on the day, "We are already winning the fight against the Delta variant," and "New York City will not implement additional measures such as lockdowns."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.