Gov. Gavin Newsom has been touting a return to normal when California re-opens its economy on June 15 and drops business restrictions and mask mandates, though he has not canceled the state of emergency which allows him to retain expanded powers.
What will all this mean for mask wearing, even if most of the time you might not be required to do it?
The first change is that fully vaccinated people won't have to wear a mask anywhere except at mega events where there are 5000 people or more indoors, over 10,000 or more people outdoors.
With the Bay Area seeing such high vaccination rates, UCSF epidemiologist Dr. George Rutherford said behavioral norms may take a while to adjust.
“There are two bridges to cross here. One is what do we do with fully vaccinated people, when can they get rid of their mask and the answer is June 15 except for mega events,” Rutherford told KCBS Radio. “The next question is when can everybody get rid of their masks? That’s the herd immunity question and that will probably be later on this summer, early fall when everyone gets rid of their mask because we have such a high level of immunity, transmission is unlikely.”
Rutherford asked who's going to be checking whether people are really vaccinated if they, for example, walk into a grocery store? That unknown is why he said he will probably wear a mask inside among crowds for a while.