California County Reinstates Indoor COVID-19 Mask Mandate

People wear face masks at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in Los Angeles, Calif., on March 2, 2020. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)

Alameda County in California’s Bay Area is now requiring residents to wear face masks in most indoor public settings, citing the rising number of CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus infections and hospitalizations.

The mask mandate came into effect on June 3. The rule is not applicable in K-12 school settings. However, the county still recommended masking. In all other public places involving children and youth, which includes summer school, child care, and youth programs, the mask mandate will be in effect.

The number of COVID-19 cases being reported daily has now “exceeded the peak of last summer’s Delta wave,” the Alameda County Health Care Services Agency said in a June 2 press release.

Case numbers are now at a level seen during the COVID-19 wave from winter 2020–21, the county stated. Daily new hospitalizations from COVID-19 have now exceeded last summer’s peak, with the county now expecting to reach the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) “High” COVID-19 Community Level if the current trend continues.

“Rising COVID cases in Alameda County are now leading to more people being hospitalized and today’s action reflects the seriousness of the moment,” said Alameda County Health Officer Dr. Nicholas Moss.

“We cannot ignore the data, and we can’t predict when this wave may end. Putting our masks back on gives us the best opportunity to limit the impact of a prolonged wave on our communities.”

The total number of COVID-19 cases in Alameda County during the previous 14 days, as of May 28, was 10,918, up from 1,675 on March 28. This represents an over 6.5 times increase in cases during a two-month period.

Alameda has become the first county in California to reinstate mask requirements. However, not many Alameda residents know that mask mandates have once more come into effect.

“I don’t think people know. I had no idea. None of my friends have said anything. I don’t think my family knows. People still seem not to be masked inside stores,” one resident said to ABC News after shopping at a store.

There was hardly anyone inside the store wearing masks. Neither did the store post any signs saying that face masks are required, he said.

Though Alameda County officials are projecting face masks as a necessity to combat rising COVID-19 cases, several studies have dismissed such a claim.

One study looked at mask mandates in Spain among children and concluded that the policy was “not effective” in stopping the transmission of the COVID-9 virus.

“The study shows that there was not a significant decrease in transmission on the courses that were masked (6 to 11 y.o.) when comparing to those that were not (3 to 5),” Clara Prats, one of the authors of the study, told The Epoch Times.

Another study published in April last year found that prolonged use of face masks had a correlation with headaches, fatigue, respiratory impairment, etc., among those who wore them.