Latest Sonoma County Mask Rules As CA Mandate Returns
ROHNERT PARK AND COTATI, CA — Indoor masking requirements in Sonoma County, including the county's exemptions for indoor dining and some stable groups of fully vaccinated people, remained unchanged under a new statewide mask mandate from the California Department of Public Health, county officials said.
The latest state mask requirement kicked in Wednesday ahead of Christmas and the new year and requires California residents to wear masks indoors for the next month, regardless of vaccination status. Face coverings must be worn in all indoor public spaces through Jan. 15 as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations surged post-Thanksgiving, the California Department of Public Health said.
County health departments were welcome to establish even stricter rules.
"CDPH will allow counties such as Sonoma, which has required facial coverings in most indoor public settings since August, to maintain their existing health orders around masking," officials with the county of Sonoma said Wednesday afternoon in a news release.
"This means that some workplaces, gyms, churches and other organizations in Sonoma County will continue to have the option of allowing stable cohorts of fully vaccinated people to remove their masks indoors, if the organizations verify vaccination status and qualify under other terms of an October 2021 amendment to the county health order," the county said. "Masks may also be removed while actively eating or drinking indoors, regardless of vaccination status."
Masks must continue to be worn indoors in all other public settings under the local order issued in August by Sonoma County Health Officer Dr. Sundari Mase.
The state health department also issued a travel advisory Monday to recommend that all travelers receive a COVID-19 test three to five days after their arrival in California.
Further, officials updated requirements for events with 1,000 or more attendees to require guests to show proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID-19 test
The steps came as state health officials eyed an uptick in COVID-19-related cases and hospitalizations as the highly transmissible delta variant continued to spread. Just 39 cases of the recently identified omicron variant were confirmed in California as of Monday, but officials were also concerned about that variant’s high level of transmissibility.
Since Thanksgiving, California’s seven-day average case rate increased by 47 percent, and hospitalizations increased by 14 percent as of Monday.
"Our collective actions can save lives this holiday season,” said Dr. Tomás J. Aragón, state health department director and public health officer. “We are already seeing a higher level of transmission this winter and it is important to act now to prevent overwhelming our busy hospitals so we can provide quality health care to all Californians.”
In Sonoma County, the seven-day average case rate has increased 40 percent since Thanksgiving and hospitalizations have increased 47 percent.
Health officials at the local and state levels continued to stress the importance of vaccination. Unvaccinated Californians were reportedly seven times more likely to get COVID-19, 12.5 times more likely to be hospitalized from COVID-19 and 13 times more likely to die after infection, according to statistics released Tuesday.
Local data collected over the past three months show that Sonoma County residents who are unvaccinated are 9 times more likely to become ill, 40 times more likely to become hospitalized and 16 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than people who have been immunized, the county said.
CDPH’s refinement this week to its statewide masking order recognizes the hard work of the people of Sonoma County to implement reasonable protections that have slowed transmission of COVID-19, Dr. Mase said.
“Vaccination is the best protection against COVID-19, particularly as people gather indoors with the arrival of colder weather and winter holidays, increasing their risk of exposure to the virus,” Mase said. “But wearing a well-fitted mask indoors in public places can help protect you and those around you. Masks and other preventative measures, like avoiding large crowds and poorly ventilated spaces, remain essential with the Delta variant continuing to spread in Sonoma County and the Omicron variant detected in the Bay Area.”
Nearly eight in 10 Californians 5 and older have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Prior to the most recent state mask mandate, the state required the use of masks in the following spaces:
K-12 schools, child care facilities and other places for youth.
Public transit.
Health care facilities.
Adult care facilities and those for older people.
Correctional facilities and detention centers.
Homeless shelters, emergency shelters and cooling centers.
The state did not indicate when it will lift mask requirements in these spaces after the temporary mask mandate expires.
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This article originally appeared on the Rohnert Park-Cotati Patch
