SACRAMENTO — El gobernador Gavin Newsom ordenó el jueves a todos los californianos que se cubran la cara mientras están en lugares públicos o de alto riesgo, incluso cuando compran, viajan en transporte público o buscan atención médica, debido a la creciente preocupación de que los residentes hayan causado un aumento en los casos de coronavirus por no tomar voluntariamente esa precaución.
La orden de Newsom llega una semana después de que el condado de Orange rescindiera el requisito de que los residentes usen mascarillas y mientras otros condados de California están debatiendo si unirse a otras jurisdicciones locales para obligar a cubrirse la cara. La administración de Newsom no abordó cómo se hará cumplir el nuevo requisito o si los californianos que violen la orden estarán sujetos a multas u otras sanciones.
“En pocas palabras, estamos viendo a demasiadas personas con los rostros descubiertos, poniendo en riesgo el progreso real que hemos logrado en la lucha contra la enfermedad”, manifestó Newsom en un comunicado. “La estrategia de California para reiniciar la economía y hacer que la gente vuelva a trabajar sólo tendrá éxito si los individuos actúan de manera segura y siguen las recomendaciones de salud. Eso significa cubrirse la cara, lavarse las manos y practicar el distanciamiento físico”.
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Newport Beach police enforce closures along the Wedge in Newport Beach, a popular surf spot. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)
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Spectators along the Wedge in Newport Beach, a surf spot, on July 4. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)
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A bicyclist rides along Highland Avenue with the pier closed to beachgoers on July 3 in Manhattan Beach. (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times)
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Peter Gratzinger of Pacific Palisades heads to the water at Santa Monica State Beach, which opened to the public at 5 a.m. July 6. (Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)
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A bicyclist with her child rides along the closed bike path on July 3 in Manhattan Beach. (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times)
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A police officer and a lifeguard boat comb the shoreline in Venice Beach on July 5. Even though the beach was closed over the weekend a few still made their way to the shoreline. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
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No-parking signs from the July 4 weekend still block spots on Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica on Monday. (Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)
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Dusk sets in over the the Santa Monica Pier on Friday. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
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Southern California residents watch the fireworks during the Drive-Up 4th of July Spectacular at the Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base on Saturday in Los Alamitos. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
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Bella Nousiainen, left, with daughter, Helmi Nousiainen, of Los Angeles, at the Santa Monica Pier, which reopens after being closed to guests for months because of the coronavirus. (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times)
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Dr. Jamie Taylor checks the ventilators at the refashioned St. Vincent Hospital. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)
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Shoppers and mannequins wear protective masks in the Los Angeles downtown garment district on Thursday. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)
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Patrons wear face coverings at Grand Central Market in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday. A recent surge in COVID-19 cases in California has pushed the state’s total past 200,000 with more than 5,800 deaths. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)
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LAPD officers E. Rosales, left, and D. Castro, patrol the Metro Red Line at the Hollywood/Highland Metro Station Thursday. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
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Visitors wear protective masks while walking through historic Olvera Street in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)
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People wait in line to have a COVID-19 screening administered by the Community Organized Relief Effort at the Los Angeles City Mayor’s test site at Dodger Stadium on Thursday. (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times)
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A woman adjusts a protective mask while walkiing along Atlantic Avenue in Long Beach. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Ti mes)
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Cameron Johnson,18, left, headed to UC Berkeley in the fall and Simona Krasnegor,17, headed to UCLA in the fall, watched the sun set while sitting next to the Manhattan Beach Pier, following their drive-through graduation from Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)
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Jair Guido, 36, a veterinarian visiting from Durango, Mexico, right, wearing a sombrero with an American flag draped over his shoulders, walks with other pedestrians along Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood. Guido said that he wore this outfit to show people that he is proud to be a Mexican and that he loves America. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday ordered all Californians to wear face coverings while in public. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
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A mask-wearing skateboarder and her dog make their way along the boardwalk in Venice Beach. Californians must wear face masks in public under a coronavirus order issued by Gov. Gavin Newsom. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
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Pedestrians, some with face coverings, some without, walk past musicians Brent Kendell, background left, and Sam Jones, background right, as they perform at the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue in Hollywood. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
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People wear masks while walking along the boardwalk in Venice Beach. Californians must wear face masks in public under a coronavirus order issued by Gov. Gavin Newsom. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
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Pedestrians cross the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue in Hollywood. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday ordered all Californians to wear face coverings while in public, following growing concerns that an increase in coronavirus cases has been caused by residents failing to voluntarily take that precaution. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
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Sophia Strauss, left, and Sarah Hoffmeister celebrate after their drive-through graduation from Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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New West Charter School vice principal Mark Herrera shouts at graduate Joe Reid to come and receive his diploma during a drive-up graduation ceremony for the Class of 2020 at the charter school in Los Angeles. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
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A worker directs drivers at a drive-up testing site for COVID-19 outside of Jackie Robinson Stadium at UCLA.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
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Destiny VanSciner is tested for COVID-19 with an oral swab by family nurse practitioner Anniesatu Newland at a walk-in site at St. John’s Well Child and Family Center in South Los Angeles. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Melissa Gomes fixes the tassel on the mortarboard of Sarah Anggraini as the new graduate gets ready for a photo at Chaffey College, which held a drive-through graduation, in Rancho Cucamonga. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
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Maricela Moreno, manager at El Tarasco in Marina del Rey, disinfects cash at the restaurant. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
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Mildred “Millie” Stratton waves to a caravan of cars led by Alhambra police officers and firefighters. The parade past her home celebrated Stratton’s 102nd birthday. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Eric Larkin hands an order to Brittany Wright as she fastens her face covering outside the Last Bookstore in downtown Los Angeles. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
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A jogger passes Evergreen Cemetery in Los Angeles as local stay-at-home orders are increasingly relaxed months into the coronavirus outbreak. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Hikers and bikers traverse the Santa Fe Dam trail as county parks officially reopen to the public. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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A woman, masked against COVID-19, walks past a building that features the image of Britney Spears at a shopping center in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
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Manon Guijarro, a new graduate of Pierce College, has her photo taken by friend Paige Johnson at Chris Burden’s outdoor work “Urban Light” at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in Los Angeles. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
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Mary Perez, a salesperson at High Class Jewels on Broadway in downtown Los Angeles, helps a customer as he tries on a gold rope chain inside the recently reopened store. (Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)
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Professional dog walker Lindsay Rojas takes golden retrievers Gomez, left, and Nikki for a stroll along Le Bourget Avenue in Culver City. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
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The Air Force Thunderbirds precision flying team banks over downtown Los Angeles in formation to salute healthcare workers and first responders on May 15. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
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Maria Morales, center, a member of the USC class of 2020, participates in virtual graduation via Zoom with her brother Manny Morales, left, mom Pilar Morales and stepdad Victor Ramos from her home in Orange. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
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On a recent day, there’s not a face mask in sight as a roller skater and others share the reopened walking path on the Strand in Manhattan Beach. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Crew members of a Hainan Airlines flight walk through the Tom Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
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A woman wearing a protective mask walks past a shuttered business in Long Beach. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)
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Thousands of rental cars are stored at Dodger Stadium as the coronavirus crisis has caused rentals to nosedive. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
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Some beachgoers actively use the beach while others relax on the sand, despite Gov. Gavin Newsom’s active-use-only order, in Huntington Beach. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
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Traveling nurse Gail Cunningham waves thanks outside the emergency room entrance to Riverside University Health System in Moreno Valley as residents pay tribute to her and other medical personnel with a drive-by rally. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
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A scene from “Knives Out,” with actor Don Johnson, seen at the Mission Tiki Drive-in Theatre in Montclair. Opened with one screen in 1956, the Mission Tiki expanded to four screens in 1975 and began renovation in 2006, updating to FM transmitters and digital projectors. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)
Hasta ahora, los funcionarios estatales de salud pública sólo habían emitido como recomendación el que los californianos utilizaran protecciones faciales, lo cual ha demostrado que si los usa alguien infectado con el virus disminuyen las posibilidades de contagiar a otros. El Sacramento Bee informó el miércoles por primera vez que la administración de Newsom estaba considerando como requisito las mascarillas faciales en todo el estado.
El mandato estatal exime a los niños de 2 años de edad y menores y a las personas con discapacidades médicas, de salud mental o del desarrollo que les impiden cubrirse la cara. Los clientes de restaurantes también están exentos cuando comen y beben, al igual que los residentes que se ejerciten al aire libre siempre que puedan distanciarse socialmente de los demás.
Tampoco se requieren coberturas faciales para las personas con problemas de audición o quienes se comunican con ellas, para trabajadores cuya salud puede estar en riesgo o podrían necesitar quitarse temporalmente la mascarilla para realizar una tarea o servicio.
Los californianos deben usar mascarillas en su lugar de trabajo, cuando atienden a los clientes o cualquier miembro del público; todos los trabajadores del servicio de alimentos, cuando trabajan o caminan por pasillos y estacionamientos y cuando se trasladan en ascensores, según la orden. Las personas que conducen autobuses, taxis, vehículos de transporte o cualquier otro servicio que acepte pasajeros también deben utilizarlas.
Newsom a mediados de marzo emitió la primera orden nacional de quedarse en casa, argumentando en ese momento que las restricciones eran necesarias para frenar la propagación del virus. Desde ese momento, el gobernador demócrata ha dejado en claro que hacer cumplir la orden, así como decidir cuándo relajar las restricciones, depende de los condados y las ciudades.
“Este es un requisito estatal y proviene de la misma autoridad legal que todas las demás órdenes estatales”, dijo Kate Folmar, portavoz de la Agencia de Salud y Servicios Humanos de California, sobre el requisito de mascarilla.
La Dra. Sonia Angell, Oficial de Salud Pública del Estado, señaló que usar cubiertas para la cara, junto con el lavado de manos y el distanciamiento social, es una forma comprobada y efectiva de disminuir la propagación del coronavirus.
“A medida que los californianos se aventuran más en nuestras comunidades, usar protectores faciales es otra forma importante de ayudarnos a protegernos”, manifestó.
Un estudio reciente de Alemania encontró que las mascarillas faciales reducen la tasa de crecimiento diario de las infecciones reportadas en alrededor del 40%. Otro estudio, publicado el jueves en las Actas de la Academia Nacional de Ciencias, concluyó que “el uso de máscaras faciales en público corresponde a los medios más efectivos para prevenir la transmisión interhumana”.
Algunos californianos se han rebelado abiertamente contra las directivas de usar protecciones para la cara, que consideran una extralimitación del gobierno y una violación de su libertad personal.
La semana pasada, un funcionario de salud pública del condado de Orange renunció después de semanas de ataques verbales, incluida una amenaza de muerte, por sus reglas del uso obligatorio de mascarillas. Su reemplazo rescindió las pautas en medio de una intensa presión de la Junta de Supervisores y ahora el condado sólo “recomienda encarecidamente” utilizar cubrebocas en lugares públicos.
Los condados de Fresno, Riverside y San Bernardino también han rescindido los requisitos de cobertura facial debido a la oposición pública.
Muchos de los otros condados más poblados de California, incluidos Los Ángeles, San Diego, Santa Clara, Alameda, Sacramento, Contra Costa, San Francisco y San Mateo, requieren el uso de mascarillas en público.
Phil Willon is an assistant editor based in the Sacramento bureau of the Los Angeles Times and guides coverage of California politics and assists with state capital coverage.
Hannah Fry covers breaking news for the Los Angeles Times. She most recently covered Orange County for The Times and has written extensively about criminal trials, housing, politics and government. In 2020, Fry was part of the team that was a Pulitzer finalist for its coverage of a boat fire that killed 34 people off the coast of Santa Barbara. Fry came to The Times from the Daily Pilot, where she covered coastal cities, education and crime. An Orange County native, Fry started her career as an intern at the Orange County Register.
Luke Money is an assistant editor on the Fast Break Desk, the Los Angeles Times’ breaking news team. He joined the newsroom as a reporter in 2020, specializing in breaking news and coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic. He previously was a reporter and assistant city editor for the Daily Pilot and before that covered education, politics and government for the Santa Clarita Valley Signal. He earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Arizona.
