California to bring back indoor mask mandate

Los Angeles: California will reimpose its indoor mask mandate from Wednesday to prepare for an anticipated increase of Covid-19 cases due to gatherings during the year-end holidays and the emergence of the new Omicron variant, the Department of Public Health said.

The mask mandate will last at least a month, at which time the state health department “will make further recommendations as needed”, Xinhua news agency reported Tuesday citing the Department as saying.

Since Thanksgiving, the statewide seven-day average case rate has increased by almost half and hospitalisations have increased by 14 per cent, according to the department.

It updated requirements for attending mega events, like concerts and sporting events, which require either proof of vaccination, a negative antigen Covid-19 test within one day, or a negative PCR test within two days prior to the event.

IANS

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