A statewide mandate requiring people to wear masks in indoor public settings will remain in place until at least Feb. 15, the state’s Health and Human Services secretary announced Wednesday, pointing to rising COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations. The state imposed the mandate on Dec. 15, and it had been scheduled to expire on Jan. 15.
Among the indoor public spaces affected are retail stores, restaurants, theaters, family entertainment centers and government offices that serve the public. Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly told reporters the decision to extend the mandate was the result of rising COVID case numbers, the high transmission rate of the Omicron variant of the virus and the impact of increased infections on hospitals across the state.
Ghaly noted that overall hospitalizations in the state — including COVID and all other patients — had reached 51,000 as of Wednesday, Jan. 5, just shy of the peak of 53,000 reached during last winter’s virus surge. The current number includes about 8,000 COVID-positive patients, he said.
Ghaly said the state is working to get a better breakdown on the nature of COVID hospital patients to determine how many were admitted for other reasons and only discovered they were infected when they were tested at the hospital. But regardless of that breakdown, the overall number of hospitalizations remains concerning, he said.
Ghaly also said residents should consider wearing higher-grade masks, not simply scarves or loose-fitting cloth face-coverings. He said many masks that people donned in the early days of the pandemic are “not as helpful today,” urging people to consider masks that are well-fitted on the face without gaps or ventilators.
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How far we’ve fallen says
Ghaly lies, civilization, community, decency dies. Yeah, he’ll look into the honest breakdown, sure, and by the way masks work, right. CDC doesn’t think so, Fauci finally gave up the mask hoax. Earth to sheep, the vaccines don’t work, they do more harm than good. See Japan. Masks just let fear porn consumers feel good about their paranoia. But hey, they’re the experts right. I’ll listen to the inventor of mRNA protocols, Dr. Malone. I’m done being lied to by public health bureaucrats and political tools.
American male says
Well said. Most folks are waking up to the realization that this pandemic was way overhyped. Yes people lost their live, yes people got sick and their lives changed forever, and yes people got it and survived. Overhyped was the government thinking they could stop it with mandates and medicines. This was an unknown, well as far as they told us, virus with unprecedented, oh wait there was the Spanish Flu in 1918, where civilization and humanity changed. We have become too reliant on our so called experts and will do whatever they say. Enough is enough….. get on with our lives and do what you feel is best for you and your loved ones. Get vaccinated, wear a mask, isolate, do whatever you feel is comfortable and safe for you. Just don’t impose your opinion on me, and I won’t on you.
William Wallace says
When will it stop. Look at the data people. Go visit another state, a free state, and show me numbers that California and our mask mandates make things better.
What the? says
What are you talking about? Your comment makes no sense whatsoever! F*$@!
Sonya says
Actually it does make a lot of sense.
William says
It would make sense to Sonya who still thinks the election was stolen.
Sonya says
And it wouldn’t make sense to William who thinks the 2020 elections were free and fair.
Most importantly free from big tech and major media intervention to benefit the democrats