CA Mask Mandate Ending Soon In San Clemente, Orange County

Miranda Ceja
·2 min read

SAN CLEMENTE, CA — California will lift its statewide mask mandate for indoor public places next week, Golden State health officials reported. The move, announced by state health officials on Monday, comes as the Omicron-fueled winter surge rapidly recedes across the state.

The new policy will go into effect Feb. 15. After that date, San Clemente residents vaccinated against COVID-19 will not longer have to wear masks in indoor or outdoor settings, unless specific by local city or county officials.

In Orange County, COVID-19 hospitalizations and case rates trended downward throughout the month of January and the first week of February, according to the latest county data.

While hospitalizations and case rates decline, Orange County's January death toll for the month of January eclipsed the worst months of last summer's surge, according to Orange County Health Care Agency's latest data. The county reported 28 more COVID-19-related deaths since Friday, with 24 of them occurring January.

"Omicron has loosened its hold on California, vaccines for children under 5 are around the corner, and access to COVID-19 treatments is improving," Public Health Officer Dr. Tomás J. Aragón said in a news release. "With things moving in the right direction, we are making responsible modifications to COVID-19 prevention measures, while also continuing to develop a longer-term action plan for the state."

The lifting of the statewide mask mandate primarily affects counties that don't currently have their own, which includes Orange, San Diego and Riverside counties and parts of the central valley.

Per the California Department of Public Health, everyone is required to wear masks in:

  • Indoor public spaces (until February 15, 2022)

  • Workplaces (until February 15, 2022)

  • Public transit

  • Healthcare settings (including long term care facilities)

  • Adult and senior care facilities

  • Indoors in K-12 schools, childcare, and other youth settings

  • State and local correctional facilities and detention centers

  • Homeless shelters, emergency shelters, and cooling centers

Masks are required for unvaccinated people and recommended for everyone in:

  • Places of worship

Gov. Gavin Newsom's administration brought back the masking mandate in mid-December as omicron cases climbed through the holiday season, extending the requirement through Feb. 15. California passed 80,000 pandemic deaths and 8 million confirmed positive cases last week.

In announcing the change on social media Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom noted, "Cases have decreased 65% since the Omicron peak. Stay vigilant, get vaccinated, get boosted."

Related:

The Associated Press Contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on the San Clemente Patch