Sacramento County returns to indoor mask mandate, cites ‘drastic’ rise in COVID cases

Masks are again required in indoor public places regardless of vaccination status in Sacramento County, health officials announced Thursday morning.

“While cases continue to surge and until vaccination rates have increased in Sacramento County, all residents must wear masks in all indoor public settings, venues, gatherings, and workplaces, such as, but not limited to: offices, retail stores, restaurants and bars, theaters, family entertainment centers, conference centers, and State and local government offices serving the public,” the county wrote in a news release.

The new health order, which officially takes effect at 12:01 a.m. Friday, comes as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations skyrocket due to the highly contagious delta variant. State health data Thursday showed 197 virus cases hospitalized in Sacramento County, more than triple the 61 reported July 1.

The California Department of Public Health on Wednesday recommended universal indoor masking statewide, following new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention earlier this week.

Sacramento joins Yolo and Los Angeles counties in going a step further, strengthening the recommendation to a mandate. Yolo County’s mandate goes into effect Friday.

“The continued increase in cases is concerning — universal indoor use of masks is the least disruptive and most immediately impactful measure to take to slow the rate of transmission,” county health officer Dr. Olivia Kasirye said in a prepared statement.

The county in a news release noted that Sacramento’s daily case rate has “risen drastically, from 5.2 (per 100,000) on June 24 to 18.3 on July 20.”

There are limited exemptions in the local order, similar to previous state and local orders: People are not required to wear masks when actively eating or drinking, while showering or swimming at a gym or while working alone in a closed office or room.

The mandate comes two weeks after Kasirye issued a “strong recommendation” urging masks in indoor settings.

The county health office decided to upgrade the recommendation to a mandate because of Sacramento County’s high transmission rate, Kasirye said on a call with reporters Thursday morning.

The CDC defines “high” transmission as more than 100 weekly cases per 100,000, and it recommended universal indoor masks in areas with at least “substantial” transmission — 50 per 100,000. Sacramento’s latest case rate is close to 150 per 100,000.

“We already had a strong recommendation, and we wanted to take it another step,” Kasirye said.

Kasirye said the high transmission rate is a combination of the delta variant and a poor community vaccination rate. The county’s goal is to get at least 70% of its population fully vaccinated. Sacramento is currently at just 49%.

“I think that if we had been able to get higher vaccination rates ... we would have had better community protection,” she said.

Kasirye said she does not currently anticipate additional restrictions such as business closures.

“We are not considering capacity restrictions,” Kasirye said. “This is strictly a masking mandate … In looking at all the options, this would be the quickest and easiest to implement right now.”

There is no explicit end date or end condition to the order — Kasirye said the county will continue to monitor the case rate and make further decisions as conditions warrant.

Nearby Yolo County said it would keep its mask order in place until it records fewer than two cases per 100,000 for seven consecutive days.