SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. — On 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, California health officials ended the state indoor mask mandate for vaccinated people.
According to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), the state will now be "strongly recommending" indoor public masking for those who are vaccinated.
This announcement comes as a result of data showing that the number of COVID-19 cases has dropped significantly, the spread of the virus has begun contracting, and hospital staffing has improved.
Before you start to ditch your mask, it is important to note that even though California is lifting its indoor mask mandate, it does not necessarily mean your county is doing so.
According to the CPDH, here is where masks will still be required statewide, regardless of vaccination status:
- Indoors in K12 schools and childcare
- On public transits
- Emergency shelters and cooling/heating centers
- Healthcare settings
- State and local correctional facilities and detention centers
- Homeless shelters
- Long-term care settings and adult and senior care facilities.
For those who are unvaccinated, universal masking is still required.
In California, each county gets to decide for itself whether to follow the state's lead or keep a mask mandate in place.
Here is a list of Northern California counties dropping their mask mandates:
- Sacramento County
"In alignment with the State, effective immediately Sacramento County is rescinding the July 26 health order requiring all individuals to wear face coverings indoors and the Jan. 6 health order directing all public meetings be held virtually," the county says. Sacramento County Health will continue to assess COVID-19's impact and may reissue a mask order, according to the statement. Sacramento Public Health is still recommending people wear masks in public settings. - El Dorado County
According to El Dorado County, "we are following the State's lead regarding the mask mandate and have no plans to require anything more stringent than what the State requires." - Nevada County
"As the local masking order is rescinded, it is still highly recommended that everyone, regardless of vaccination status, wear a high-quality mask while in public spaces," Nevada County says in a statement. - Placer County
“Placer County Public Health continues to align with the state’s COVID safety measures and does not have COVID-related health orders that are more restrictive than the state’s guidance,” a Placer County spokesperson said. - San Joaquin County
“Based on our data, it is reasonable that we’re getting close to a point where state masking requirements can be relaxed,” said San Joaquin County Public Health Officer, Dr. Maggie Park. “But we must remain vigilant on surveillance and continue to track data and conditions. We must ensure that any mask requirement decisions protect the health and well-being of students, employees and all residents. We must remain humble to the unpredictability of this virus.” - Solano County
“Only unvaccinated persons are required to mask in all indoor public settings. Fully vaccinated individuals are recommended to continue indoor masking when the risk may be high," Solano County says. "Masks are incredibly effective at preventing COVID-19 infection and masking in indoor spaces is the safest choice." - Yolo County
“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,” said Yolo County Health Officer Dr. Aimee Sisson. “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.”
For a list of vaccination clinics, people can visit the Sacramento County Public Health Vaccination website, call 2-1-1 or visit MyTurn.ca.gov. Homebound residents can contact 2-1-1 to request in-home vaccination services.
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