Contra Costa County health officials estimate the county could be able to drop its indoor mask mandate in January.
After Marin County on Friday announced it would no longer require masks in most public indoor spaces beginning on Monday, a Contra Costa County Health Services spokesperson told KCBS Radio in an email on Saturday that the county could meet all the necessary criteria to drop its mask mandate in the new year "given current trends."
Contra Costa County was one of nine Bay Area jurisdictions to agree to a framework earlier this month providing a path to drop its local mask mandate. All nine agreed to a new indoor mask mandate amid the COVID-19 delta variant's spread in August.
The county would need to have low, stable hospitalizations and a "moderate" level of COVID-19 spread, as defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for three consecutive weeks.
Additionally, the county would need to fully 80% of its residents or wait until eight weeks after federal and state officials approve use of a COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5-11.
The CDC is expected to approve the two-dose Pfizer vaccine later this week after the Food and Drug Administration provided an emergency use authorization last week. Dec. 31 falls eight weeks after Friday, so it’s conceivable Contra Costa County can drop its indoor mask mandate around the turn of the year.
Children aged 5-11 can receive their vaccinations a minimum of three weeks apart, meaning they won’t be fully vaccinated – at the earliest – until five weeks after their first dose.
Contra Costa County had a "substantial" rate of spread, according to the agency, averaging over 64 new cases per day for every 100,000 county residents during the week ending on Oct. 29. The county had vaccinated 71.6% of its total population as of Friday.
The county public health spokesperson told KCBS Radio that expanded eligibility could ensure the county surpasses 80% vaccinations before eight weeks passing, citing "the drop in demand for first doses among the currently eligible age groups." Contra Costa County's seven-day average of first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine has hovered between 600 and 1,000 for the better part of the last two months.
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