As more areas across the country continue to drop their indoor masking mandate, health experts urge residents to take slow steps into this new phase of the pandemic.
Dr. John Swartzberg, infectious diseases professor emeritus at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health, told KCBS Radio's "Ask An Expert" that masks remain a vital tool in fighting coronavirus.
"Unfortunately some people are reacting to this like the pandemic's over and they can just go back to living like they were before. I think that's really a mistake and I certainly don't think that's the message that public health is trying to give," he said.
Looking back at the almost two-year long history with COVID-19, Swartzberg likened it to a rollercoaster.
Related
"Last March we were seeing a dramatic decline from the horrific winter we had been through… Nobody thought that around the corner, on July 1st roughly, was delta," he recalled, warning that perspective is important as most of the country enjoys a time period of low COVID-19 cases.
"We're in much better shape than we were, but we still don't know what's around the corner," he cautioned.
At the height of the omicron surge, the Bay Area in California saw a staggering 800 cases per every 100,000 people. Now that number has dropped to the low 20s, prompting counties and schools to relax mask protocol.
San Francisco mayor London Breed shared her thoughts on the school mask mandate lift during a press conference Tuesday, voicing her full support to see masks removed.
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign up and follow Audacy
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram