Pasadena Health Officials Recommend People Mask Up Indoors

PASADENA, CA — Pasadena health officials urge residents and anyone who visits the city to mask up when indoors, regardless of their vaccination status, to help stem the spread of the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus.

While not an official order, the recommendation is for people to wear masks when they are in high-risk indoor settings such as gyms, movie theaters and grocery stores, according to the Pasadena Public Health Department.

The Los Angeles County Department of Health on Monday issued a similar recommendation as cases involving the variant continue to rise across the Southland.

Nationwide, the delta variant is said to account for 20 percent of all new coronavirus infections in the United States, according to health experts. The delta variant, first identified in India, is a more transmissible version of the coronavirus and may cause more severe symptoms.

It's still unclear how much protection COVID-19 vaccines offer against the variant. But getting vaccinated and wearing face masks indoors are the best strategies available, Pasadena public health Director Ying-Ying Goh said in a statement — especially to protect those who can’t get vaccinated, such as children under 12.

“Given this uncertainty, as scientists work to gather more information about this variant, it is best for Pasadena residents to protect themselves with those risk mitigation measures that we know are effective,” she said.

The delta variant prompted the city and county to issue mask recommendations, but California public health officials declined to issue a similar nudge to state residents. California eased mask requirements for individuals after lifting many of its coronavirus restrictions on June 15.

“The California Department of Public Health is closely monitoring the spread of COVID-19 and its variants across our state,” Dr. Tomás Aragón, the state's health director, told the San Francisco Chronicle. “The most important thing we can do to stop the spread of COVID-19 is ensure everyone who is eligible gets vaccinated.”

California's mask guidelines continue to align with those of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Aragón said.

Masks do not have to be worn by fully vaccinated people unless they're taking public transportation, according to the CDC.

In contrast to the state and federal government, the World Health Organization issued a statement over the weekend that "strongly recommends" people wear masks while indoors.

“People cannot feel safe just because they had the two doses. They still need to protect themselves,” Dr. Mariangela Simao, WHO assistant director general, said in a news conference Friday. “Vaccine alone won't stop community transmission. People need to continue to use masks consistently, be in ventilated spaces, hand hygiene, ... the physical distance, avoid crowding.”

— City News Service contributed to this report