'Mask mandates are set to be reinstated in several California areas.'
Mask mandates will return to numerous San Francisco Bay Area counties next month.
The county orders mostly apply to health care professionals, but at least two Bay Area counties have expanded them to visitors and patients.This mandate was issued in the Bay Area for the 2023–2024 fall–spring timeframe.
County health authorities say impending mask mandates aim to minimize the spread of COVID-19, influenza, and other respiratory infections, reminiscent of the US-wide mandate during the pandemic.
Where the Mandates Are Going into Effect
Last month, Alameda County, which includes Oakland, ordered health care workers to wear masks from Nov. 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025.
The health directive stated that RSV, flu, and COVID-19 “typically circulate and peak in Alameda County during the late fall and winter months” and that a similar trend is expected this year.
The order stated that violating it in Alameda County “constitutes an imminent threat and menace to public health, constitutes a public nuisance, and is punishable by fine, imprisonment, or both.”
The rule applies solely to personnel, not patients or visitors.
On Sept. 26, Contra Costa County ordered health care workers to wear masks for the same time with comparable fines. Only personnel, not patients, are covered.
“The masking of personnel in these facilities is necessary to provide a layer of protection to patients during the respiratory season when risk of exposure is highest,” the county said.
Napa County ordered health care workers to wear masks on Oct. 1. Visitors and patients are exempt.
This directive mandates each of these facilities to adopt and enforce a masking program for health care workers in patient care areas, regardless of vaccination status. The county wrote that this directive supersedes health care worker masking orders.
Santa Clara County, which includes San Jose, will compel visitors and patients to wear masks in health care institutions from Nov. 1 until March 31, 2025. Children under 2 and persons with medical concerns that could interfere with breathing or require assistance to remove a mask are exempt.
“Preventive measures like wearing a mask in crowded indoor places and staying home when sick continue to add layers of protection against respiratory viruses,” the county declared last month. “Just like last year,
The April 2023 health order will require masks in all patient care areas of health care facilities starting Nov. 1 and continuing through the winter respiratory virus period.”
Outside California
Other than the Bay Area, no other US counties will impose identical health care facility mandates.
If CDC data show COVID-19 instances growing again, additional locations may restore mask mandates. Due to a spike in viral cases, New York City hospitals reimposed a mask mandate last winter.
At least two U.S. health care providers mandated masks this summer. The Tuba City Regional Health Care Corp. in Arizona reinstated mask mandates in early August for at least two weeks, and Baystate Health in Massachusetts did similarly in late August.
What the CDC’s Data Shows
As of Oct. 10, the CDC’s wastewater tracking tool showed “low” COVID-19 levels across the US, down from “very high” in mid-August. According to CDC data, COVID-19-related mortality in the US were approaching record lows in August.
The CDC reported this summer that COVID-19 is the 10th top cause of death in the US. Initial COVID-19 pandemic deaths were the third highest in the nation. It slid to 4th in 2022.
