What to know as California mask mandate ends tomorrow
Children will still be required to keep their masks on at school, though California will reassess that on Feb. 28.
California health officials will lift the statewide COVID-19 indoor mask mandate in public settings for vaccinated people on Feb.16 at 12:01 a.m. Children, however, are still required to keep their masks on at school for at least another two weeks.
Health & Human Services Agency Sec. Dr. Mark Ghaly announced Monday in a press conference that the state will reassess the current mask requirement for schools on Feb. 28.
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Officials argued that COVID's spread has also waned significantly across the region and that relaxing mask requirements is part of a shift toward a "new normal" of living with the virus rather than attempting to snuff out its spread completely.
"We are able to take this next major step of removing the universal indoor mask requirement because we have laid a strong foundation in good public health protections -- especially vaccines and boosters -- and know we can reduce severe illness, hospitalizations and deaths," Contra Costa County Health Officer Dr. Ori Tzvieli said.
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Last week, Fresno County health officials said that while the county has likely passed its omicron peak, hospitals were still strained. Officials said it could be well into March before they begin operating normally.
This is why health leaders say the county isn't out of the woods just yet.
"Meaning if you're in a high-risk setting, such as indoors, crowded, and you don't know other people's vaccination status, it's a good idea to wear a mask," said Dr. Trinidad Solis, with the Fresno County Health Department. "If you haven't already, number one, get vaccinated."
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The CDC has said cloth masks are not that effective against omicron, but Dr. Cody said residents in her county still need this protection.
"Masks are very important additional layer and have been throughout the pandemic," she said. "We need to layer up, need many layers in place when there's a lot of COVID circulating right now. We are still at the high levels of community transmission, we are in the CDC red, and that's why we are still requiring masks indoors."
In summary:
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Here's some guidance from the state of California on current mask recommendations and requirements.
Full list of where masks are still required:
- Indoor public spaces (until Feb. 15, 2022)
- Workplaces (until Feb. 15, 2022)
- Public transit
- Healthcare settings (including long term care facilities)
- Adult and senior care facilities
- Indoors in K-12 schools, childcare, and other youth settings
- State and local correctional facilities and detention centers
- Homeless shelters, emergency shelters, and cooling centers
Masks are required for unvaccinated people and recommended for everyone in:
- Places of worship
TOP QUESTIONS
When are masks exempt in the places that still require masking?
- Children under two years old are exempt at all times, due to the risk of suffocation.
- Those with the following conditions are also exempt: a medical condition or mental health condition disability that precludes wearing a mask. This includes those for whom a mask could obstruct breathing, who are unconscious or incapacitated, unable to remove a mask without assistance.
- People for whom seeing the mouth is essential for communication - hearing impaired or those communicating with a person who is hearing impaired.
- People for whom wearing a mask would create a risk as they work, as determined by local, state, or federal regulators, or workplace safety guidelines.
