Californians will need to wear masks in public indoor spaces for a little while longer.
Amid an explosion of COVID-19 cases due to the omicron variant's spread, California public health officials on Wednesday announced they were extending the statewide public indoor mask mandate until Feb. 15.
Dr. Mark Ghaly, California Health and Human Services Secretary, announced the changes in a briefing with reporters on Wednesday afternoon. The mandate was originally going to remain in place until at least Jan. 15 before being re-evaluated.
Ghaly said the state is concerned about the total number of hospitalizations, and not just for COVID-19. California has about 2,000 fewer people hospitalized than this time last year, when the state peaked at around 53,000. More than 8,000 people are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, Ghaly said.
"We're looking at where we are with out hospital system," Ghaly said of the metrics the state will examine to determine when to lift the mask mandate. He noted later there is no specific number of hospitalizations that will prompt the state to lift its mandate.
Ghaly added that the state is recommending residents wear a well-fitting mask with filtration in public indoor spaces. Last week, California officials recommended people "upgrade" their masks to an N95, KN95 or KF94 mask.
More than 71% of state residents who are at least 5 years old have been fully vaccinated, according to state data, while 48.2% of people who are fully vaccinated have received a booster or an additional dose.
Yet 21.3% of the COVID-19 tests reported to the state were positive over the week ending on Wednesday, higher than any other point during the pandemic. Ghaly said the state was not considering closing schools or businesses, pointing to the mask mandate and its vaccination rates.
"We believe we have a lot of tools to keep things moving," Ghaly said.
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