At least nine people working in the California State Capitol tested positive for COVID-19 last week, including four who are fully vaccinated, prompting the return of the mask mandate for lawmakers and staff.
When the Capitol reopened last month, masks were still required in public places like hallways, committee rooms and legislative chambers. But fully vaccinated legislators and staff were allowed to remove their masks while working in their offices.
That changed this week after the outbreak. The new directive applies not only to the Capitol, but also to the Legislative Office Building and the district offices of legislators. Unvaccinated lawmakers and staff are also required to be tested twice a week, according to state Assembly and Senate memoranda.
The outbreak appears to be among state Assembly employees, although no official has confirmed that all nine cases occurred among those workers.
Debra Gravert, the Assembly’s administrative director, said in a memo last week that seven cases involved people who worked in the same office. Senate Secretary Erika Contreras said the chamber has no “current cases.”
Last month, with infection rates at record lows, Governor Gavin Newsom lifted nearly all state restrictions on the coronavirus. But recently, public health officials warned that the especially contagious delta variant of the coronavirus has spread rapidly among the unvaccinated population, causing an increase in new cases and hospitalizations.
Los Angeles County public health officials have urged people to resume wearing masks indoors, regardless of their vaccination status. Newsom is not now considering the return of a statewide mask mandate or other restrictions.
“Well, if we keep vaccinating people, it will be unnecessary,” he said Wednesday. “This is the call for anyone who has not been vaccinated: get vaccinated. What more evidence do you need? “
Anyone 12 years of age or older is eligible for the vaccine. So far, about 70% of that population in California have received at least one dose.
On Capitol Hill, four of the nine cases were fully vaccinated people, a much higher percentage of so-called groundbreaking cases than the small number in the entire state. Between January 1 and June 30, the state identified 8,699 cases of coronavirus among people who are fully vaccinated. That represents 0.043% of the more than 20 million who have received the vaccine.
“Fully vaccinated” means that a person has at least two weeks removed from their final dose of the vaccine.
Of those major cases, at least 652 people were hospitalized, although the Department of Public Health said hospitalization data was missing in about half of the cases. Another 71 people who had been fully vaccinated died, but state health officials said they did not know if the coronavirus was the leading cause of death.
“While COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective, some cases are still expected in people who have been vaccinated, as no vaccine is 100% effective,” the Department of Public Health wrote on its website.
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