In Israel, the mandate for an outdoor mask was lifted over the weekend. And the recent columns in Slate and The Atlantic ask if it’s time to do the same here in the US.
So, right?
ABOUT US: Half of US adults have now received at least one COVID photo
Local health experts in the Gulf area are in conflict.
“No, no, absolutely not,” UCSF infectious disease expert George Rutherford told ABC7 News about lifting the California outdoor mask mandate.
“Right now, when we still have a lot of unvaccinated people and 2,500 more cases a day in California, new cases a day in California, it seems to me a prudent thing to continue. “
Dr Rutherford said he believed that even Israel, where more than 50% of the population is fully vaccinated, could have lifted its mandate prematurely. In California, 32% of people are completely vaccinated.
But Dr. Monica Gandhi, also a specialist in infectious diseases at UCSF, had a different perspective. She told ABC7 News that she thought it was time to reconsider the outdoor masking mandate, given the low transmission rates for outdoor activities.
VIDEO: Why do some COVID survivors get side effects a few hours after the first vaccine?
“There has been a lot of data, especially in the last six months, that shows us that the risk of outdoor transmission is very low,” said Dr. Gandhi. “In fact, there was a study in Ireland and a study in China that shows that about 1 in 1,000 transmissions take place outside, as opposed to inside, where we know there are more drops and more transmissions.”
“So in this case of declining and trusting vaccine cases, I think it’s time to lift the mask mandates outdoors,” she added.
Dr Alok Patel, ABC7 News’ medical contributor, said he did not think the mandate for the mask should be completely lifted, but said he agreed it was time to re-evaluate it.
“Add at least transparency and maybe a goal for the people there to say, ‘Hey, when we get to a certain number, go ahead and take off your mask when you’re outdoors,’ because there’s a little inconsistency,” said Dr. Patel.
ABOUT: Mask mandate to remain, even after Newsom’s June 15 reopening plans
“You can go to an outdoor restaurant, sit on a patio and be around eight other tables with people not wearing masks … but then you can be on the Embarcadero and there is still the requirement to wear a mask. “
A spokesman for the California Department of Public Health did not say whether the state is considering lifting the outdoor mask mandate, but suggested changes are unlikely until at least the state reopens on June 15.
Dr. Rutherford believes this is best.
“I think as we get to 60% of people who are completely vaccinated, we can start thinking about that,” he said. “But we’ll have to see how it goes in the next few months, with a lot of pressure to reopen by June 15.”
Having trouble loading the tracker above? Click here to open it in a new window.
Related stories and videos:
Copyright © 2021 KGO-TV. All rights reserved.