On February 7, 2022, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that the state’s indoor mask mandate would expire on February 15, 2022, for vaccinated people.
New face covering guidance from the California Department of Public Health (“DPH”) will go into effect on February 16, 2022. Under the guidance, universal masking is only required in specified settings. These settings where masks will continue to be mandatory include:
- Public transit;
- Indoors in K-12 schools;
- Emergency shelters;
- Healthcare settings;
- State and local correctional facilities and detention centers;
- Homeless shelters; and
- Long-term care settings and adult and senior care facilities.
Unvaccinated people are required to mask in all indoor public settings. Fully vaccinated individuals are recommended to continue indoor masking when the risk may be high, and DPH recommends that surgical masks or respirators be used.
Local governments may continue their own indoor masking requirements, and these requirements may be stricter than the state’s requirements. During a County Board of Supervisors meeting on February 8, 2022, Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer indicated that the County will not move to ease its indoor mask mandate until transmission is at moderate levels, which will be at least a few weeks after DPH’s guidelines change.
