State sticking with mask requirements
California: Health officials buck national guidelines and ask residents to wear face coverings indoors until June 15
State public health officials are asking Californians to keep their masks on indoors until June 15, whether they’ve gotten a COVID-19 vaccination or not, though they can skip masks outdoors as long as they’re not in a crowd and can keep a distance from others.
Last week, new federal guidance said vaccinated people need not wear a mask in most indoor and outdoor situations. State officials have been getting questions since then on whether California’s mask rules would change.
In a Monday news conference, state Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said keeping indoor mask rules for the next month “will give Californians time to prepare for this change” and may nudge people who were waiting to get a vaccine to do so before mid-June.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has said the color-coded tiers in his “Blueprint for a Safer Economy” will go away on June 15, which suggests most of the remaining restrictions on public life may be lifted.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday put out new guidelines for masks that said anyone who’s had a single-dose vaccine or both shots of a two-dose regimen may stop wearing a mask outdoors, even in a crowd, and indoors in many cases. Masks are still advised in places such as hospitals and health care facilities, airports and train stations, and while on trains, buses and planes.
Ghaly said the state’s decision to ask people to keep masking indoors is “in no way saying that the science or the direction by the CDC is wrong or there’s a challenge to it,” but it will allow time for the state to work with businesses on how to roll out the new rules.
Some businesses are already facing challenges because of the divergence between the state’s mandate and federal guidance.
Orange County restaurant and brewery owner Wil Dee, who’s also a vice chairman of the Orange Chamber of Commerce, said he’s coached his staff so they understand state guidance on masks is still in place, but he and his friends in the industry are finding “the consumer doesn’t really know what to do.”
They’re already seeing confused customers, and it’s clear people’s patience with rule changes is wearing thin, Dee said.
Some people haven’t dined out in a year, and “they want things to be exactly the way it was when they left.”
Soon after the CDC issued new guidelines, more than a dozen states pledged to follow them, but others were like California in weighing their response. Some retailers were also split, with Walmart, Costco and Trader Joe’s saying they won’t require vaccinated shoppers to wear a mask unless state or local laws say otherwise.
Some small business owners in California seem to be playing it by ear.
David Friedman, who coowns Viva La Boba in downtown San Bernardino with Tansu Philip, said customers have mostly continued to wear masks as requested when they come in.
For the foreseeable future, Friedman plans to require employees to mask up indoors. As for guests, “we haven’t had any issues,” he added. “I thought we would have people coming in and complaining, but so far it seems like people are being respectful.”
Still, Friedman said he may consider relaxing mask rules for patrons, “because it may end up hurting our business if we’re the only boba shop requesting masks be worn.”
Others say what would keep their patrons happy is following the state rules to make sure everyone is protected.
“If our customers see someone without a mask, they would walk away,” said Lorena Sanchez, who owns the Bob’s Big Boy in Northridge. “People are very concerned and they would complain if we let someone walk in here without a mask.”
County health departments are allowed to be stricter than state guidelines, but they can’t be more lax.
Southern California counties, including Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino, are currently following state rules regarding masks.
Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Hilda L. Solis said more than half the county’s 16-and-older population is not fully vaccinated and thus vulnerable to COVID-19 infection. Continuing to require masks will help protect those people, she added.
In Montclair, which was one of several cities to put its own mask mandate in place, City Councilman Bill Ruh said the state’s decision to stick with indoor masks makes sense.
“I also look at it from the standpoint we still have a lot of people under 16 and especially under 12 not vaccinated,” he said. “It is just an extra layer of safety. It doesn’t hurt. It is not that hard to put a mask on. It takes about two seconds.”
But as vaccinated people are increasingly invited to go maskless in different settings, businesses face the question of verification, or whether to check to ensure employees or customers have gotten their shot.
Dee said Orange County business owners he’s talked to don’t plan on any kind of customer vaccination checks.
“Everybody that I have spoken with in regards to that, that is a nonstarter on that point,” he said. “The belief is that it’s an invasion of their privacy.”
And with employees, it’s an even thornier issue. Dee said businesses fear trying to make workers or potential hires prove they’re inoculated could open them up to discrimination claims, and “we have enough headaches as it is right now.”
But others argue businesses could be held liable if their workers become sick on the job.
“With everyone wearing a mask, businesses are ensuring that their employees are safe,” Valley Industry & Commerce Association President Stuart Waldman said. “If everyone is not wearing a mask and you don’t know who’s vaccinated, that could be a problem.”