Muristek
By MADISON HIRNEISEN
THE CENTER SQUARE
(The Center Square) – California’s statewide indoor mask mandate will expire next week, allowing many vaccinated Californians to remove their masks in indoor public spaces, officials announced Monday.
The state’s indoor mask mandate, which initially took effect Dec. 15, will expire on Feb. 15, state officials said Monday. The temporary requirement was originally set to expire Jan. 15 but was extended last month amid surging COVID-19 cases.
In Santa Barbara County, an indoor mask mandate will remain in place until March 3, and may be extended beyond that date.
Under state requirements, unvaccinated individuals will still be required to wear masks indoors. Additionally, counties can still impose their own mask mandates, meaning some vaccinated Californians could still be required to wear masks indoors, depending on where they live.
The decision comes as California has witnessed a sharp decline in COVID-19 cases since peaking in January.
At its peak in January, the state was averaging nearly 300 new cases per 100,000 residents. As of this week, that rate dropped to an average of about 103 cases per 100,000, according to data from the California Department of Public Health.
“CA’s case rate has decreased by 65% since our Omicron peak,” Gov. Gavin Newsom tweeted on Monday, announcing the expiration of the mask mandate. “Our hospitalizations have stabilized across the state.”
The post California’s indoor mask mandate to expire next week appeared first on Santa Barbara News-Press.