Bracing for Omicron: California mask rules return as US Covid-19 cases hit 50 million
- US anticipating surge of Omicron cases as Covid-19 death toll nears 800,000
- California reimposing indoor mask mandates, regardless of vaccination status
California will impose a statewide mask mandate in all indoor public spaces as Covid-19 case rates soar and as precautions ramp up against the Omicron variant.
The United States on Monday hit 50 million Covid-19 cases, according a tally by Johns Hopkins University, with the number of coronavirus-related deaths approaching 800,000.
The nation is bracing itself for a potential surge in infections because of more time spent indoors with winter holidays and colder weather, and the highly transmissible Omicron strain.
California’s mask mandate, which will take effect on Wednesday and last a month, is one of several measures the most populous US state is taking to slow a wave of infections that is already straining hospitals in areas where vaccination rates are low.
California’s announcement came on the same day New York enacted its own statewide mask requirement in indoor public spaces, excepting only settings where everyone inside must be vaccinated.