Los Angeles County health officials recommend wearing mask indoors as new delta variant spreads

Los Angeles County public health officials are "strongly" recommending people in the state continue to wear a mask in indoor public places regardless of vaccination status as fear of the new coronavirus delta variant spreads.

"Public Health strongly recommends people wear masks indoors in settings such as grocery or retail stores; theaters and family entertainment centers, and workplaces when you don't know everyone's vaccination status," the county's Department of Public Health said Tuesday, according to ABC News.

Los Angles Mayor Eric Garcetti says the new precautions are not mandatory at this point but urged people to continue to wear masks.

"We adhere our orders to the county orders," he said. "So we say: Indoors, in those work settings, in those retail settings, we suggest that you should. This is not a mandate at this point. But especially for those who are unvaccinated: Protect yourself."

The Delta variant of COVID-19 originated in India and has quickly spread around the world. At least 85 countries have the variant, and one in five infections in the United States are from the variant, according to The New York Times.

Roughly half of Los Angeles' residents are fully vaccinated, with 60 percent having received at least one dose of the vaccine. California's official mask mandate ended on June 15.