Los Angeles Sheriff Refuses To Enforce New Indoor Mask Mandate
Yahoo News, HuffPost, July 18, 2021.
The Los Angeles County sheriff has announced his department won’t enforce the county Department of Public Health’s reinstated indoor mask mandate as COVID-19 cases soar in the area, falsely claiming it’s “not backed by science.”
Sheriff Alex Villanueva said in a statement Friday that he “will not expend our limited resources” to enforce the new order. “Forcing the vaccinated and those who already contracted COVID-19 to wear masks indoors is not backed by science and contradicts the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines,” he added..
The new local mandate is not a contradiction of CDC policy.
The CDC does not currently recommend that vaccinated individuals wear masks indoors — except where required by law. As cases of the dangerous and highly contagious delta variant of COVID-19 soar, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said at a White House press briefing Friday that localities experiencing increases in cases may consider reinstating indoor mask mandates to protect against the disease. The World Health Organization still urges fully vaccinated people to wear masks.
Villanueva acknowledged the county health department’s legal right to enforce its order. However, he urged the agency to “work collaboratively with ... law enforcement to establish mandates that are both achievable and supported by science.” He also called for “voluntary” compliance with the order...
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https://news.yahoo.com/los-angeles-sheriff-refuses-enforce-125540422.html