State’s indoor mask mandate begins today; here are the requirements
With coronavirus cases climbing statewide amid growing concerns about the highly mutated omicron variant, California made a sweeping decision Monday to reimpose a universal indoor mask mandate this week.
The new requirement comes with the holiday season in full swing, with gatherings that could further fuel transmission of the virus.
Here’s what you need to know:
What are the dates of the new mask mandate?
It begins Wednesday, Dec. 15, and lasts until at least Saturday, Jan. 15. At that point, according to an online update from the Department of Public Health, “California will make further recommendations as needed in response to the pandemic.”
What are the new requirements?
Officials announced these changes:
• All people must wear masks in public settings in California, regardless of vaccination status.
• The state will require people attending megaevents attended by 1,000 or more that don’t require COVID-19 vaccination to show proof of a negative test taken within one day for an antigen test, and within two days for a PCR test. Previously, the window was 72 hours.
• The state will recommend that travelers returning to California get tested for the coronavirus three to five days after arrival.
Why are state health officials taking these actions?
State health officials said the move was in response to a jump in coronavirus case rates in recent weeks, in addition to concerns about the new omicron coronavirus variant.
Case rates have spiked 47% statewide since Thanksgiving, from 9.6 cases per 100,000 people per day to 14 cases per 100,000 people per day, California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said Monday.
The state has always required that unvaccinated people wear masks indoors. Also, rules requiring masks for everyone in K-12 schools, on public transportation and in nearly all health care facilities are unchanged.