California officials announced Monday that the state’s indoor mask mandate will expire next week for individuals vaccinated against COVID-19.
As of Feb. 15, unvaccinated individuals will still be required to wear a mask indoors, and all individuals, vaccinated or not, will be required to wear one in higher-risk areas such as public transit and nursing homes, according to the Los Angeles Times.
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“Cases have decreased 65% since the Omicron peak. Stay vigilant, get vaccinated, get boosted,” Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office tweeted.
On February 15, California’s statewide indoor mask requirement will expire.⁰
Unvaccinated people must still wear masks in indoor public settings.Cases have decreased 65% since the Omicron peak. Stay vigilant, get vaccinated, get boosted.
— Office of the Governor of California (@CAgovernor) February 7, 2022
The update will not affect counties with their own mask mandates in place. Los Angeles and portions of the San Francisco Bay Area have already announced that they will continue requiring indoor masking, according to the newspaper.
When the mandate is lifted, the state will also increase attendance caps for “mega events.” Indoor events can now have up to 1,000 attendees and will require vaccinations or negative tests, while unvaccinated individuals will still be required to wear a mask. The outdoor events cap was also increased from 5,000 to 10,000 attendees, the outlet said.
The move coincides with multiple states in the Northeast lifting school mask mandates in the coming weeks.
Newsom and LA Mayor Eric Garcetti recently drew criticism after they appeared maskless in photographs posted by legendary NBA player Magic Johnson at the NFC championship game between the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers.
The Super Bowl is set to take place Sunday at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Fans attending the game will be given KN95 masks, LA County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer has said.
California has reported more than 8 million COVID-19 cases. Case numbers have trended downward since early January, according to the state’s COVID-19 tracker.
California reinstituted its universal mask mandate Dec. 15, citing anticipation of increased case numbers around the holidays.
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Newsom’s office did not respond to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment.
