California reinstates mask mandate for indoor public spaces, regardless of vaccination status

Kim Harris

Managing Editor

California Health and Human Services Secretary Mark Ghaly said Monday that the state has reinstated a mask mandate in all indoor public spaces, according to a report published by The Associated Press Monday, Dec. 13.

The move comes amid rising concerns regarding the Omicron variant of COVID-19 and an uptick in cases in recent weeks. The mandate will be in place for one month, ending Jan. 15, California Governor Gavin Newsom said.

As of press time, no Omicron cases have been reported in Riverside County, but according to state data, the per capita rate of new coronavirus cases in California has jumped 47% in the past two weeks.

In Riverside County, hospitalizations are up in recent weeks, with 292 people hospitalized as of press time Monday, the number of those patients in intensive care was 72.

According to the Riverside University Health System, the aggregate number of COVID cases recorded since the pandemic period began in March 2020 rose by 1,240 since Friday, reaching 383,242.

A total of 5,502 deaths from virus-related complications have been recorded in the past 20 months. The fatalities are trailing indicators because of delays processing death certificates and can go back weeks, according to health officials.

The number of known active virus cases countywide was 4,262 Monday. The active count is derived by subtracting deaths and recoveries from the current total, 383,242, according to the county Executive Office. Verified patient recoveries countywide are 373,478.

To the south, in San Diego County, two cases of Omicron virus were reported as of press time. Currently, 325 people are hospitalized with COVID-19. Of those patients, 90 were in intensive care.

The cases confirm the expectation that the Omicron variant is spreading in San Diego County, county public health officer Dr. Wilma Wooten said.

“While the Delta variant remains the main strain circulating in San Diego, we expect to see more Omicron cases in the region,” Wooten said.

Cumulative totals in San Diego County show 392,502 cases and 4,378 deaths

since the pandemic began.

“We know people are tired and hungry for normalcy. Frankly, I am too,” California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said. “That said, this is a critical time where we have a tool that we know has worked and can work.”

California lifted its statewide mask mandate June 15 for people who were vaccinated, a date Newsom heralded as the state’s grand reopening. But since then, county governments covering about half of the state’s population have imposed their own indoor mask mandates as case rates surged with new variants.

The state’s new mask mandate covers everyone else, but state officials Monday were unclear about whether it would be enforced. Ghaly told The Associated Press enforcement would likely be stronger in some places than others, but he urged Californians to heed the warnings and wear masks.

“We know that there’s going to be people who don’t necessarily agree with this, who are tired, who aren’t going to mask,” Ghaly said. “We hope that those are few and far between, that most people see the purpose of doing this over the next month as something to protect them and their communities during a very tough time.”

California also is tightening existing testing requirements by ordering unvaccinated people attending indoor events of 1,000 people or more to have a negative test within one or two days, depending on the type of test. The state is also recommending travelers who visit or return to California to get tested within five days of their arrival.

City News Service and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Kim Harris can be reached by email at [email protected].