3 counties get limited mask exemptions
S.F., Alameda, Contra Costa keep local rules that allow removal of masks in certain indoor settings
California once again is requiring everyone from toddlers on up to wear face masks in all indoor public settings — regardless of vaccination against COVID-19. But the state is cutting breaks in some cases to a few Bay Area counties for those who have had the shots.
Local rules will remain in place in San Francisco, Alameda and Contra Costa counties, which already had orders that allowed masks to come off indoors in certain controlled settings with a small, stable group of fully vaccinated people — such as workspaces and gyms.
The dueling mask rules come as the Golden State is
experiencing a bump in new COVID-19 cases and bracing for a possible new wave of infections from the highly contagious omicron variant.
“This refinement acknowledges
the hard work of the people of San Francisco throughout the pandemic, including the ways in which we have maintained reasonable protections heading into the holiday season,” San Francisco’s Department of Public Health said in a statement late Tuesday.
Alameda County Department of Public Health public information manager Neetu Balram added that county residents “will not experience any differences in policy.”
Contra Costa County said because of its local rule, “the new statewide masking mandate doesn’t affect us and we will retain limited exceptions for certain indoor settings not open to the general public such as offices and gyms where everyone is vaccinated.”
On Monday, the California Department of Public Health announced that face masks are again required
in all indoor public settings regardless of vaccination status from Dec. 15 through Jan. 15, and recommended surgical masks or higher-level N95 respirators. The only broad exceptions are children under age 2, people with medical or mental health conditions that would be worsened by the masks, the hearing impaired or others for whom it would pose a risk at work.
During the announcement, Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly didn’t specify what would happen in counties
that had already carved out limited exceptions for fully vaccinated people. But the CDPH on Tuesday clarified that local health orders would be honored in health jurisdictions that had preexisting masking requirements for indoor public settings in effect before Dec. 13, such as San Francisco, Alameda and Contra Costa counties.
In early August, seven of the nine Bay Area County health departments reinstated indoor mask mandates that could only be changed if certain criteria were met regarding local case rates, hospitalizations and vaccination rates. San Francisco, Alameda and Contra Costa counties then
subsequently added the exception for fully vaccinated people in gyms and workplaces.
Marin County, which met the criteria and lifted its indoor mask mandate Nov. 2, said it would now comply with the state’s indoor mask requirement for all.
Gov. Gavin Newsom first announced a statewide requirement for everyone to wear face coverings in indoor public settings in June 2020. Although the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in May that the vaccinated no longer needed to mask up in most indoor public settings, with the exception of public transit, schools, shelters, prisons and jails,
and health care facilities, California kept its rule in place through June 15 of this year.
Several counties in October reinstated the requirement, citing rising cases and concerns about worsening outbreaks over the winter.
State health officials said COVID-19 cases have increased 47% and hospitalizations 14% since Thanksgiving as the highly contagious delta variant continues to spread and the even more transmissible omicron variant gains a foothold.
The exceptions for the few Bay Area counties drew some sarcasm on Twitter from Jonathan Zachreson,
of Roseville, a parent activist who has criticized the state’s school closures and masks requirements during the pandemic.
“None of it makes sense,” Zachreson said, suggesting Newsom was showing favoritism to San Francisco, where he once served as mayor.
Contra Costa County Health Officer Dr. Chris Farnitano said that while local cases have gone up since Thanksgiving, the county has one of the highest vaccination rates in the state, and hospitalizations are far below levels seen during the past summer, as well as those in many other counties.
“The limited exceptions
we made are for very lowrisk scenarios where everyone is vaccinated,” Farnitano said. “Our community already understands and is following these rules, and it would be confusing to change them for just one month.”
Balram said face masks, along with vaccination, “are one of the best tools we have to prevent spreading COVID-19 to family, friends, and community members” but cautioned that the exceptions may be subject to change.
“We will continue to monitor emerging evidence and the local epidemic,” Balram said, “to determine if changes to local mandates will be needed.”