Marin County on Monday became the first in the Bay Area to officially lift its mask mandate.
Listen to the latest episode of "Bay Current" below.
Fully vaccinated people in Marin County are now allowed to be maskless in indoor settings, such as workplaces, gyms, and schools.
KCBS Radio’s Jeffrey Schaub, who has been reporting on COVID-19 restrictions in Marin County, joined "Bay Current" on Tuesday to talk about the county's new rule.
"Marin has become a very cautious place, and the reason they have been able to end this mask mandate is because of the high vaccination rate in Marin County," he said. "I’m not sure that everyone is going to tear off their masks."
Schaub noted that several Marin merchants still want their customers to wear masks inside their businesses due to safety, including gas stations and nurseries. Other residents are habitually wearing masks now.
"I went to a shopping center in Corte Madera, and one woman said she’s going to keep wearing a mask. People feel awkward," he added.
The lifting of the mandate in Marin County is for fully vaccinated residents only, which brings up challenges for business owners.
Many managers said they would like people to wear masks but don’t want confrontation, and some don’t want to force people to show their vaccination cards.
"They said they probably won’t kick them out," Schaub said.
Meanwhile, Contra Costa and Alameda Counties along with San Francisco have begun to ease their mask restrictions.
Fully vaccinated individuals in those areas are now allowed to go maskless in indoor settings but only at establishments where everyone is immunized.
San Francisco’s vaccination rate is 76%, which isn’t at the threshold to fully lift mask mandates.
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