Authorities say Americans may have to use masks indoors as delta Covid cases surge

After more than a year since the coronavirus pandemic hit the global population, new variants of the virus have emerged. The recent variant, being the delta variant has been spotted in many countries of the world, including the United States.

U.S. authorities say that the delta variant is highly transmissible and it is rapidly spreading across the country and other parts of the world.  Health experts and scientists say that the Covid precautionary law may be reinstituted in the U.S. this fall. This would indoor masks mandates and other public health safety measures.

Health experts also say that the country is headed toward a dangerous season ahead as another delta surge is expected due to the recent large gatherings that have occurred in the country. 

The hardest-hit states by the variant would most likely be the states with the lowest vaccination rates unless they take quick action to reinstate safety measures like masks and social distancing and other health measures that have been neglected. For example, in Mississippi less than a third of the population have completed their vaccination and officials have asked that residents continue to wear masks indoors as the delta variant becomes more dominant in the state. At least 95% of new cases recorded in Mississippi are among those that are unvaccinated, according to state health officials.

Lawrence Gostin, director of the World Health Organization’s Collaborating Center on National and Global Health Law said he could “foresee that in certain parts of the country, there could be a reintroduction of indoor mask mandates, distancing and occupancy limits” months to come.”

Many scientists predict that Covid will continue to spread around the world for at least two to three years as new mutations are discovered every few weeks. They urged countries to restore public health measures to lessen the impact ahead of time. Already, countries like South Africa, Australia, and some parts of Asia have reintroduced public health measures, lockdown, and curfews to curb the spread of the delta variant. Japan, last week, declared a coronavirus state of emergency amid the Olympics and has banned spectators from accessing the venue. 

“We are heading for a very dangerous fall, with large swaths of the country still unvaccinated, a surging delta variant and people taking off their masks,” Gostin said.

These warnings come barely months after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said people who were fully vaccinated didn’t need to wear masks indoors in mid-May. Businesses like Walmart and Costco acted upon the CDC’s announcement by allowing fully vaccinated employees and customers to access the stores without masks unless the state or local laws said otherwise. The United Auto Workers union in late June agreed to allow fully vaccinated employees to choose whether or not they would wear a face mask.

A high infection rate in other parts of the world is yet to be the case in the U.S. due to the high availability of vaccines and warmer weather (summer). The warnings and predictions of health experts come as many businesses and offices across the country have eased down public health measures such as the “no mask no entry” rule, social distancing, and other Covid-19 related restrictions.