Governor Newsom announced yesterday that California’s indoor mask mandate will lift next week on February 16 for vaccinated people. San Francisco and almost all other Bay Area counties, except Santa Clara, have announced that they will follow suit. The state’s case rate has dropped 65% since the height of the Omicron surge, and with hospitalization rates stabilizing, the mask rules are once again loosening up. Unvaccinated individuals must continue to mask up indoors, and masks are still strongly recommended for everybody.
In alignment with the State, SF along with other Bay Area counties will lift universal mask requirements for most indoor public settings beginning Wednesday, Feb. 16. Masks, however, are still strongly recommended. Read more at https://t.co/jNJoEJETwM. pic.twitter.com/U3vW5EVx4d
— SFDPH (@SF_DPH) February 9, 2022
Masks will continue to be required for all people, regardless of vaccination status, in certain settings. They include all public transit, K-12 schools and childcare, emergency shelters, healthcare settings, correctional facilities and detention centers, homeless shelters, and senior care facilities. State health officials say more details about K-12 school mask mandates will be released later in the week.
Masks are still “strongly recommended,” especially in cramped indoor settings with poor ventilation. SFDPH also urges San Franciscans to stay up to date on their vaccination status.