It was just last night that Matt reported Los Angeles County is reinstating a mask mandate indoors, regardless of vaccination status. A day later and Clark County--which includes Las Vegas--is now advising everyone to wear a mask indoors, even if you're vaccinated.
The reason is all of this fear-mongering over the new Delta variant, the dominant variant in the United States.
And while it is spreading, it's spreading against the unvaccinated. If you're vaccinated then you are protected, and, as of right now, you don't need a booster shot. Thus, you don't need to wear a mask.
This is not rocket science.
Nicholas Reimann has provided a rather helpful list of these latest mask mandates and guidelines for Forbes, though he himself joins in on the panicking, as one can see from his topline:
The highly contagious Delta variant has prompted a new surge of Covid-19 around the U.S., leading officials in some areas to reverse what had been a months-long trend of loosening restrictions.
Included in his list are changes made in:
- Los Angeles County
- Clark County
- Orange County, which includes Orlando and Disney World
- Austin, Texas
- Yolo County in California
- Mississippi
None of them have to do with loosening restrictions. They range from the mask mandate in LA to recommendations and guidances that people mask indoors, with some localities even asking the vaccinated to mask up.
The State Department of Health in Mississippi, which has the lowest vaccination rate--at 37 percent--says residents over 65 and those with underlying chronic medical conditions should stay away from indoor gatherings.
And, while these are not mandates, they're already having an effect. Local news outlet 13 Action News had reached out to Las Vegas casinos to see which ones are going back to forcing people to mask up.
From their Friday report:
The Westgate hotel-casino is requiring its employees to mask up again whether or not they are vaccinated.
The hotel-casino on Paradise Road told 13 Action News that they are doing it to keep both their employees and guests safe.
This is the statement the local outlet received from Las Vegas Sands:
In response to new recommendations from the Southern Nevada Health District, we now require that all Team Members (vaccinated or not) wear company-issued face masks while working in indoor public spaces, and in indoor areas where people congregate. In addition, we have revised our signs posted at public entrances to share this new [Southern Nevada Health District] recommendation. Complimentary face masks are available to our guests at Front Desks, Grazie Desks, and Concierge Desks.
It may only be a matter of time before the panic gets ratcheted up enough for these guidelines and recommendations to become mandates once more.