Face Masks

STANISLAUS COUNTY, Calif. (KTXL) – Stanislaus County health officials announced Monday they are recommending everyone wear masks indoors regardless of their vaccination status. 

The recommendation comes as the county reported an abrupt rise in cases.

Health officials attribute the increase to the more contagious Delta variant.

Sacramento County health officials issues a similar recommendation last week.

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To Our County Leaders and the Communities we Serve,

Over the last several weeks we have seen alarming increases in COVID-19 infection rates in the city of Modesto and Stanislaus County. As faith leaders, some of us have witnessed the effects of this virus on vulnerable persons in our congregations and many of us have been watching how this virus has spread and overwhelmed communities across the nation.

COVID-19 has caused so many disruptions in peoples’ lives, including mental, physical and financial stress. While we all look forward to a time when our congregations can come together again in person, we also understand the risk to the health and well-being of our communities. We cannot return to sustainable economic health if we neglect the health of the people who live in our county.

Many studies now show the effectiveness of wearing masks in partnership with physical distancing to reduce the spread of the virus, particularly as we now know that the virus can spread pre-symptomatically and asymptomatically; that a person can spread the virus without knowing they are infected.

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My aunt was one of the thousands of Americans who’s body couldn’t fight COVID-19.  It all happened really fast, at first she just needed some breathing assistance with a BiPAP machine. Then before we realized it her health plummeted. My beloved cousins weren’t able to be there with their mother as she took her last breath. My heart breaks for them.

Our whole family is mourning the loss of a beautiful soul. My siblings and I have struggled to come to terms that our sweet Hope is gone. Esperanza translated into English means hope, and the name fits her perfectly. When my mother was fighting cancer my aunt dropped everything and moved to Turlock to be with my mother. I will forever remember the sound of them laughing at the dinner table. Their bond was unbreakable. My aunt moved her whole life to bring hope to my mother and most importantly to be her sidekick in everything. I’d like to think my mother and her are laughing around a dinner table now. No more pain, they’re together again.

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As the number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise in the state and in the county, health officials are issuing new orders that mandate wearing face coverings when out in public.

The California Department of Public Health issued an order Thursday requiring all Californians to wear face coverings in all high-risk settings.

“Science shows that face coverings and masks work,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom. “They are critical to keeping those who are around you safe, keeping businesses open and restarting our economy.

“Simply put, we are seeing too many people with faces uncovered – putting at risk the real progress we have made in fighting the disease,” Newsom said. “California’s strategy to restart the economy and get people back to work will only be successful if people act safely and follow health recommendations. That means wearing a face covering, washing your hands and practicing physical distancing.”

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Just days after recommending that people wear masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, Riverside County went a step further and ordered all residents to cover their faces when leaving home, as the number of infections and deaths continued to rise across California.

Dr. Cameron Kaiser, the top health officer in the state’s fourth-most populous county, said “not everybody’s getting the message” about social distancing while in public, so officials were forced to “change from saying that you should to saying that you must.”

The order issued Saturday also prohibits all gatherings except for family members living in the same home, according to a county statement. Police would enforce the regulations “as they deem necessary,” the statement said.

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As the national discussion continues on whether or not people should wear face masks when leaving the home, California health officials have said there would be a benefit to helping stop the spread of COVID-19, but stressed that people should not be using the N95 and surgical masks healthcare workers need and which are already in short supply.

“Face coverings are not a substitute for physical distancing or frequent hand washing, which we know are amongst the most effective ways to reduce the spread of COVID-19,” said Dr. Sonia Angell, Director of the California Department of Public Health and State Health Officer. “Wearing a cloth face covering could provide some additional benefit by acting as a reminder for other people to keep their distance, and it could help reduce the spread of infectious particles from those who could be infected but don’t have symptoms.”

“Face coverings could provide some additional protection against COVID-19, but Californians should not have a false sense of security if they choose to wear them. Make sure you’re also staying 6 feet away from other people if you have to leave your home to get groceries or prescriptions,” said California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly.

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