COVID-19: Mask mandate ends March 12
Case rates in Humboldt County down significantly from January highs
Masking while indoors and in public will soon become a thing of the past in most places on the West Coast.
The states of California, Oregon and Washington will no longer be requiring masking indoors for adults as of Tuesday and for kids in schools and child care settings as of March 12.
Health and Human Services Secretary Mark Ghaly said during a virtual press conference Monday that local jurisdictions and school districts still have the option to keep the requirement in place. The state also plans to keep an eye on things.
Indoor masking will still be required in health care, long-term care, and jail and prison settings.
“We will continue to take California's conditions in account,” Ghaly said, “and do what is best for Californians to keep us safe and secure moving forward.”
The guidance is based on a declining number of new cases of COVID-19 and hospitalizations related to the disease in spite of the lifting of other masking guidelines earlier this month. In the past two weeks, Ghaly reported the number of active cases statewide dropped 66% and hospitalizations dropped 48%.
“Californians and California's regions don't experience the pandemic exactly the same way,” Ghaly said. “Although these are statewide numbers, they have a range across the state. Some places are still seeing their hospitals impacted.”
In Humboldt County, the seven-day average rate of new COVID-19 cases dropped from around 150 per 100,000 residents in January to around 23 per 100,000 residents in February.
Vaccines are one of the most impactful mitigating tools that public health officials have in controlling the virus' worst outcomes, particularly death, Ghaly said.
“We continue to see this stark difference between the vaccinated and unvaccinated,” he said.
About a third of the county's five- to 11-year-olds are vaccinated while just over half of 12- to 19-year-olds are vaccinated, which are the lowest in the county.
“Part of that is because there's still a lot of questions,” Ghaly said, “a lot of good questions, from parents and communities about the effectiveness of vaccines, of the safety of vaccines.”
That being said, Ghaly said even children are protected against the most severe impacts of the virus if they're vaccinated.
Several local superintendents were either unavailable for a response or said they needed to look into the guidance more before commenting.
However, California Teachers Association President E. Toby Boyd, a kindergarten teacher, issued a statement saying he shared in the state's optimism but said it was important to be cautious.
“Reaction to today's announcement will be mixed,” Boyd said. “Simply put, while some students are ready to immediately remove their masks, others remain very afraid. We urge local school districts to continue to work with educators and families and to act cautiously while prioritizing the safety of students, educators, and their families.”
At least one of the Eureka City Schools board trustees also said he was encouraged by the direction the state was taking, but that people should be respectful during the transition.
“In some ways, I'm glad we're leaving this behind us,” said G Mario Fernandez. “At the same time, I'm glad that we are leaving some of these guidelines in place to give this standard of safety for the student and faculty that need it.”
It won't be too different than pre-pandemic when some people would take it upon themselves to mask during flu season, he said.
“If we're moving forward, I'm hoping we can at least be civil in regards to the folks that do want to observe those guidelines in their safety,” Fernandez said. “But I am enthusiastic that we are moving beyond where we were 18 months ago.”