As COVID-19 cases go down every day, California has eased some guidelines for masking.
Here is the latest on California's masking rules:
Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] have announced that 70% of Americans could now stop wearing masks, would not have to continue social distancing, and would not have to avoid larger crowds... but things are not that simple for California, unfortunately.
While the CDC did say that 70% of Americans could stop wearing masks, ultimately that decision depends on where you live as your local health department may have different rules. Confusing? Yeah - we know... but hopefully, this will help you when you are deciding do I mask or do I not.
First and foremost - if you live in a community that is considered "high-risk" like Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, and Fresno counties, it is recommended that you continue to wear a mask despite your vaccine status. 30 out of 58 counties in California are considered high-risk.
So remember this: high-risk area = you should probably keep a mask handy.
If you live in a county that is considered medium risk or low risk like Ventura counties, pay attention to your state rules.
California health officials say that if you are unvaccinated, you should be wearing a mask in indoor public spaces. If you are vaccinated, though, you should be masked in certain locations like doctor's offices, prisons, and homeless shelters.
Let me throw out this scenario, just in case: let's say you live in an area that's considered low risk and you want to go watch a movie maskless - that should be fine, but it depends if where you live has certain mask rules, you can't avoid. Los Angeles, Santa Clara, and Mendocino counties all have their own mask ordinances that we must follow.
CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told reporters on Friday:
“We want to give people a break from things like masking when our levels are low, and then have the ability to reach for them again should things get worse in the future,”
she continued by saying:
“We need to be prepared, and we need to be ready for whatever comes next.”
Starting March 11th - masks will not be required, but are "strongly recommended" in school settings.
Only time will tell as to what happens next and when we can officially drop our masks. We will keep you updated on if there are any major updates!