The city of New York has asked citizens to wear an anti-Covid mask in every situation, always indoors and even if they are widely vaccinated. And Los Angeles is preparing to do the same, should the situation worsen further. The Department of Hygiene and Health of the Big Apple has published a notice inviting maximum attention, in light of the vertical increase in cases of Covid and flu recorded in recent weeks. The infections have tripled with almost four thousand cases a day.
Anyone who has tested positive for the virus must wear a mask all the time, even outdoors. Also people over 65, pregnant or frailto the immune system are invited to keep away from indoor gatherings and to ask nearby people to wear a mask.
New York, invaded by millions of tourists attracted by the Christmas atmosphere, could slip back into the gloomy climate of a year ago, when the pandemic still represented a social alarm. “The holiday season – explained Ashwin Vasa, health commissioner of the city of New York – increases gatherings. Cases of respiratory tract infections have multiplied in an unusual way”.
The restrictions are again meeting with controversial reactions, just like a year ago when many protested. One case also concerns the school: The public college in Nassau, Long Island, on Friday announced it would require students to return to wearing protective gear for in-school classes, but city officials objected and blocked the measure.
Federal Health Centers director Rochelle Walensky said flu hospitalizations hit their highest peak in ten years. “We recommend – he added – to wear protection on the train, bus and subway, especially for those who are immunosuppressed or at risk of serious illnesses”.
In California, Los Angeles County has begun to encourage mask wearing after the latest data indicated a worrying increaseof infections. If ten percent of hospital beds are filled with Covid-related cases, then the use of the mask will become mandatory.
