When California reimplements a statewide mask mandate for public indoor spaces on Wednesday, face coverings will not be covered in San Francisco gyms and offices where everyone is fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
State public health officials clarified on Tuesday they will allow San Francisco and other counties "to maintain their existing health orders around masking," the city public health department said in a press release. The California Department of Public Health posted on its website on Tuesday that the statewide mask mandate "only applies to those local health jurisdictions that do not already have an existing indoor masking requirement in public settings that applies irrespective of individuals' vaccine status."
San Francisco, the City of Berkeley and seven other counties all started requiring masks of everyone in public indoor spaces, regardless of their vaccination status, amid the delta variant’s spread this summer. A number of counties, including San Francisco, started relaxing some of those requirements in October.
The San Francisco Department of Public Health previously told KCBS Radio on Monday it would suspend its exemption for certain settings, but it changed course on Tuesday following the state’s revision.
"This refinement acknowledges the hard work of the people of San Francisco throughout the pandemic, including the ways in which we have maintained reasonable protections heading into the holiday season," the department said in a release.
Alameda and Contra Costa counties had previously eased its mask mandates, and it’s unclear whether the counties will continue to do so. An Alameda County public health spokesperson told KCBS Radio on Monday they were "awaiting more information," while Contra Costa County said on Tuesday it had asked the state for clarification.
Marin County was the first in the Bay Area to lift its mask mandate for vaccinated residents in public indoor spaces, after meeting a set of criteria established by Berkeley and the eight Bay Area counties in October. The county said in a release on Monday masks will again be required in all indoor spaces on Wednesday.
California’s statewide mask mandate will last until Jan. 15.
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