California re-implemented a mask mandate on Monday, becoming one of the few states in the nation to do so.
Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said the mandate would go into effect Wednesday and remain in place until January 15 due to rising COVID-19 cases, Just the News reports.
“We are proactively putting this tool of universal indoor masking in public settings in place to ensure we get through a time of joy and hope without a darker cloud of concern and despair,” Ghaly said. “Californians have done this before, and we, of course, believe we can do it again.”
Indeed, since Thanksgiving, California has witnessed a 47 percent increase in case rate, up from roughly 9.6 cases per 100,000 daily to over 14 per 100,000 daily, Ghaly said.
“We know people are tired and hungry for normalcy. Frankly, I am too,” he said. “That said, this is a critical time where we have a tool that we know has worked.”
