YOLO COUNTY, Calif. — More county officials in Northern California are announcing plans to move away from mask mandates once the state's latest order ends.
On Tuesday, Feb. 15, California's indoor masking requirement will end for vaccinated people, but masks still are the rule for schoolchildren. Gov. Gavin Newsom's administration brought back the masking mandate in mid-December as the omicron variant gained momentum, and last month extended it through Feb. 15.
The latest county in the Sacramento region to align with the state is Yolo County. Officials said Wednesday they plan to lift their mask mandate the same day the state's ends.
“Yolo County is lifting our masking order because the COVID-19 situation has changed thanks to effective vaccines, effective treatments, and a variant that causes less severe disease,” Yolo County Health Officer Dr. Aimee Sisson said in a press release. “The Omicron wave is receding, but COVID-19 will continue to be with us. We must learn to live with COVID-19. Moving away from requiring everybody to wear masks indoors is a first step toward living with COVID-19. I still recommend that everybody wears a mask indoors in Yolo County, but it will no longer be required in most settings for fully vaccinated persons starting February 16.”
Health officials in 11 San Francisco Bay Area counties also announced the lifting of their mask requirements for vaccinated people in most indoor public settings beginning Wednesday, Feb. 16. Officials said Tuesday that unvaccinated people over age 2 will continue to be required to wear masks in all indoor public settings.
Everyone will still have to wear masks in schools, public transportation, nursing homes and other congregate living facilities. Santa Clara County is the most populous in the Bay Area region with almost 2 million people and won’t lift its mask mandate next week.
Earlier in the week, Sacramento and San Joaquin County officials said they'll follow the state's lead on the mask mandate.
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