In Israel, the mandate of the outer mask was lifted over the weekend. And the recent Slate and The Atlantic columns ask if it’s time to do the same here in the US
So, right?
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Local health experts in the bay area are in conflict.
“No, no, absolutely not,” Dr. George Rutherford, a UCSF infectious disease expert, told ABC7 News about the lifting of California’s outdoor mask mandate.
“Right now, when we still have a lot of people unvaccinated and there are still 2,500 cases a day in California, us cases a day in California, I find it prudent to continue. “
Dr Rutherford said he believed that even Israel, where more than 50% of the population is fully vaccinated, may have lifted his term 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. He told ABC7 News that he believes it is time to reconsider the external masking mandate, given the low transmission rates of external activities.
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“There has been a lot of data, especially over the last six months, that shows that the risk of outdoor transmission is very low,” Dr. Gandhi said. “In fact, there was a study from Ireland and a study from China, which contemplates that about 1 in 1,000 transmissions occur on the outside, unlike the inside, where we know there are more drops and more transmission “.
“So in this environment of declining cases and confidence in the vaccine, I think it’s time to raise the mandates of outdoor masks,” he added.
ABC7 News’ medical contributor, Dr. Alok Patel, said he does not believe the mandate of the mask should be completely removed, but agreed that it is time to re-evaluate it.
“At least add a little bit of transparency and maybe a goal for people here 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 bit of incongruity, “Dr. Patel said.
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“You can go to an outdoor restaurant, sit in the yard and potentially be around eight other tables of people who don’t wear masks … but then you can be at the Pier and there’s 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 outer mask mandate, but suggested changes are unlikely until at least June 15 state reopening.
Dr. Rutherford believes he is the best.
“I think as we reach 60% of people who are completely vaccinated, we can start considering that,” he said. “But we’ll have to see how the next two months go with the big push to reopen on June 15.”
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