Mask Mandate Ending In Riverside County, But Not For Everyone

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — As Riverside County's hospitalizations dramatically drop, the county will follow the state's lead this week on eliminating the indoor face mask mandate — for most people, but not all.

Effective at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, masks will no longer be required in indoor spaces for fully vaccinated individuals in Riverside County, according to the California Department of Public Health. Unvaccinated people will still need to mask up, however.

"Unvaccinated people will still need to wear masks indoors," Gov. Gavin Newsom said.

There are exceptions. Regardless of vaccination status, masks will still be required for all people in K-12 schools; on public transit; in healthcare settings (including long term care facilities); in adult and senior care facilities; in childcare and other youth settings; in state and local correctional facilities and detention centers; and in homeless shelters, emergency shelters, and cooling centers, according to the state.

Masks are recommended for everyone, regardless of vaccination status, in places of worship, according to state officials.

Additionally, face masks will still be required indoors in the city of Palm Springs.

K-12 Schools Update

On Monday, California's Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said the mask requirement for everyone in K-12 schools will remain in place pending a Feb. 28 reassessment of COVID-19 case rates and other pandemic metrics.

Riverside County's public schools have maintained since the pandemic's beginning that they will follow state and local health mandates.

Ghaly said a lifting of the mandate is inevitable, saying it is just "a question of when." He expressed confidence that the mandate would be lifted sometime after that Feb. 28 reassessment, barring another sudden spike in virus infection rates and hospitalizations.

He noted that if the Feb. 28 assessment supports lifting the mandate, it would not happen immediately on March 1. He said the state would set a date that gives school districts, staff and parents time to prepare for the change.

Ghaly gave a lengthy presentation noting significant downward trends over the past month statewide in COVID case rates, hospitalizations and testing positivity rates. But he said as far as schools are concerned, the state is only "close to a point" where it could lift the mask mandate for students and staff, so no immediate change will be made.

He said he respects that many parents who have been calling for a lifting of the mandate will be upset by the decision, but he insisted there are others who maintain uncertainty about whether lifting the requirement in schools is safe for students and staff.

"I know and hear and listen to the frustration from many California parents and I would say the message today, which I hope is clear, is today a change isn't being made. But in two weeks, confirming that the data continues to be where it is, taking the time to prepare and work with the school community and communities at large, that we anticipate making the change at that point," Ghaly said. "And that change is going to be one that I think will be met with a lot of excitement in some and a lot of fear in other circles."

Ghaly noted that even when the state lifts its requirement for masks in schools, individual counties or school districts could still require them.

"Parents should not hear that we aren't making a move," Ghaly continued. "We are taking a little bit more time to consider the information, work with our partners across the state to make sure when the move is made that we are doing it successfully with communities empowered to continue to be safe."

Gov. Gavin Newsom has expressed a desire to ease up on the school masking mandate, although he noted last week there has been some resistance from teachers' unions who still have safety concerns.

Despite the lifting of the mask-wearing for vaccinated people, Los Angeles County will continue to require face coverings indoors for everyone.

COVID Cases Update

The number of COVID-positive patients in Riverside County hospitals dropped to 490 on Monday, a decrease of 196 people over the last week, according to the latest county numbers.

Of those total patients, 95 were in intensive care on Monday, a drop of 27 compared to a week ago, according to the Riverside University Health System.

Meanwhile, local health officials Monday reported 95 additional COVID- 19 deaths over the last week, bringing the county's virus-related death toll to 6,052 since the pandemic began.

Fatalities are considered trailing indicators because of delays processing death certificates, meaning some deaths may have actually occurred weeks ago, according to health officials.

The total number of COVID-19 cases recorded in the county since the pandemic began in March 2020 stood at 583,393 on Monday, an increase of 118,895 new cases over the last week.

According to RUHS data, 60.7 percent of county residents 5 and older are fully vaccinated against COVID 19, while 29.1 percent of residents 16 and older have received a booster.

This article originally appeared on the Temecula Patch