Seven out of nine San Francisco Bay Area counties reinstated indoor mask mandates Monday regardless of vaccination status.
Counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Sonoma, and the City of Berkeley have decided to require their residents to wear masks while indoors in public settings, effective Tuesday, according to a press release.
San Francisco, along with seven other Bay Area counties, is requiring masks indoors in public places regardless of vaccination status, starting Tues, 8/3. Read more here: https://t.co/nCyHOTzadh#MaskUpSF
— SFDPH (@SF_DPH) August 2, 2021
“Across the Bay Area region we are seeing COVID-19 cases surging and hospitalizations are on a steep rise again, particularly among the unvaccinated. In Contra Costa County we’re alarmed at the rate at which COVID patients are filling our community hospital beds,” health officer for Contra Costa County Dr. Chris Farnitano said, according to KGO-TV.
Farnitano added that in the 10 days prior to the decision, the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in the county had doubled, with the month of July seeing a 400% uptick, KGO-TV reported. (RELATED: It Took Less Than 24 Hours For DC Mayor Bowser To Be Caught Violating Her New Mask Mandate: Report)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its mask guidance on July 27, recommending vaccinated Americans resume wearing masks indoors under certain circumstances.
The change in course happened in light of new data suggesting that vaccinated people could still transmit the virus while remaining protected against severe illness, according to an internal CDC document released Friday.
Los Angeles County and Washington, D.C. have previously approved a similar measure.