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canyonwalkerA week ago California announced that it would relax its statewide mask mandate. The current mandate, requiring masks indoors for everyone regardless of vaccination status, expires after Feb. 15. The state has decided not to extend it. Example news coverage: KRON channel 4 video/article (11 Feb 2022), NPR news audio/transcript (9 Feb 2022).
This change does not mean no masks are required. It only allows vaccinated people to go unmasked in certain areas. Masks are still required for all in "high risk" settings such as on public transportation, at hospitals, and schools. And unvaccinated people are required to wear masks in all public indoor settings. Of course, with no meaningful way to check vaccination status, the "required for unvaccinated people" amounts to a free-for-all. Especially because nearly everyone who's still unvaccinated at this point is politically radicalized against vaccination, scientific fact, and sound government policy.
In California localities are allowed to enact health mandates stricter than the state's. All but one Bay Area county is loosening its mask requirements in tandem with the state. That one is Santa Clara County, where I live. Example news coverage: San Francisco Chronicle article (9 Feb 2022). Elsewhere in the state, Los Angeles County has not yet decided to relax its rule but says it could as early as Wednesday, depending on hospitalization rates. Example news coverage: ABC 7 article (11 Feb 2022).
It doesn't bother me that Santa Clara County is keeping its mask mandate for now. I believe that's actually the right decision given the evidence. While infection rates have been coming down over the past few weeks, it's only from a jaw-dropping high during the Omicron surge that they're lower. Counties made these decisions with data from last Tuesday, coincidentally when I posted that rates are still 3x what they were before Omicron appeared.
We are not out of the woods yet. Loosening these restrictions seems premature. It seems like politicians caving to growing grumbling from the public, fomented on by the political minority who disbelieve the science on Coronavirus and also want to undermine the elected government.
This change does not mean no masks are required. It only allows vaccinated people to go unmasked in certain areas. Masks are still required for all in "high risk" settings such as on public transportation, at hospitals, and schools. And unvaccinated people are required to wear masks in all public indoor settings. Of course, with no meaningful way to check vaccination status, the "required for unvaccinated people" amounts to a free-for-all. Especially because nearly everyone who's still unvaccinated at this point is politically radicalized against vaccination, scientific fact, and sound government policy.
In California localities are allowed to enact health mandates stricter than the state's. All but one Bay Area county is loosening its mask requirements in tandem with the state. That one is Santa Clara County, where I live. Example news coverage: San Francisco Chronicle article (9 Feb 2022). Elsewhere in the state, Los Angeles County has not yet decided to relax its rule but says it could as early as Wednesday, depending on hospitalization rates. Example news coverage: ABC 7 article (11 Feb 2022).
It doesn't bother me that Santa Clara County is keeping its mask mandate for now. I believe that's actually the right decision given the evidence. While infection rates have been coming down over the past few weeks, it's only from a jaw-dropping high during the Omicron surge that they're lower. Counties made these decisions with data from last Tuesday, coincidentally when I posted that rates are still 3x what they were before Omicron appeared.
We are not out of the woods yet. Loosening these restrictions seems premature. It seems like politicians caving to growing grumbling from the public, fomented on by the political minority who disbelieve the science on Coronavirus and also want to undermine the elected government.
