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Two Los Angeles officials are pushing back on the county health department’s plans to impose the use of masks indoors regardless of vaccination status.

The sheriff said the order, set to take effect at 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, isn’t “backed by science” and contradicts the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, while a county board supervisor said departing from the state of California’s policies creates confusion at the local level.

“I am concerned by rising cases, but I don’t believe the mask mandate will help efforts to stress vaccine efficacy and compel unvaccinated residents to get vaccinated,” said Kathryn Barger, one of the county’s supervisors, adding that Los Angeles should “remain aligned” with state policies.

The masking order came after the metropolitan area of 10 million people added more than 1,000 new Covid-19 cases for a seventh straight day on Thursday, with the transmission rate close to a “high” level after hitting a “substantial” pace in a short period of time, according to Muntu Davis, the county’s health officer. Friday’s infections jumped to 1,902, the highest since March.

L.A. to Require Masks Indoors Again as Delta Variant Rages

The restriction comes just one month after L.A., along with the rest of California, lifted masking and social-distancing restrictions. The sheriff said his officers won’t actively enforce the latest mask order.

“The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has authority to enforce the order, but the underfunded/defunded Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department will not expend our limited resources and instead ask for voluntary compliance,” Sheriff Alex Villanueva said in a statement Friday. Health officials should instead “establish mandates that are both achievable and supported by science,” he said.

Still, some California cities may join L.A.’s move as the delta variant pushes cases higher. Seven Bay Area counties that include San Francisco and Silicon Valley areas are recommending that residents wear masks again indoors in public places regardless of vaccination status starting this weekend.

San Francisco Area Recommends Masks Indoors Even If Vaccinated

L.A.’s Davis said his concern isn’t on fully vaccinated individuals, though having a universal masking policy levels the playing field. In the county, those unvaccinated accounted for 99.6% of new cases from Dec. 7 to June 7, the health department said last month.