California sets month long mask mandate to combat COVID-19 variants

In a press conference Monday, Health and Human Services secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said, “We know people are tired and hungry for normalcy. Frankly, I am too. That said, this is a critical time where we have a tool that we know has worked and can work.”

Additionally, people who are planning on attending events with 1,000 or more attendees who don’t share proof of vaccination will have to present a negative COVID-19 test upon entry. Ghaly also stated that PCR test results must have been taken within 48 hours of the event, and rapid COVID-19 tests must have been taken within 24 hours.

Finally, travelers entering or returning to California are recommended to get tested for COVID-19 within three to five days of arrival.

The following exemptions to the mask mandate are:

• Persons younger than two years old. Very young children must not wear a mask because of the risk of suffocation.
• Persons with a medical condition, mental health condition, or disability that prevents wearing a mask. This includes persons with a medical condition for whom wearing a mask could obstruct breathing or who are unconscious, incapacitated, or otherwise unable to remove a mask without assistance.
• Persons who are hearing impaired, or communicating with a person who is hearing impaired, where the ability to see the mouth is essential for communication.
• Persons for whom wearing a mask would create a risk to the person related to their work, as determined by local, state, or federal regulators or workplace safety guidelines.