In an effort to further return to normalcy, California Governor Gavin Newsom released a statement which would end the mask mandate in indoor public locations for those who are vaccinated as of Feb. 15. A few exceptions to this rule where the mask mandate will still be in place are hospitals, public transportation, and anywhere that has a high risk factor. With that in mind, Los Angeles (LA) County has decided to keep the mandate for the time being in its borders.

The shift in policy follows a drastic drop of COVID-19 cases, being as much as 65%. It appeals to citizens across the state and increased Newsom’s ratings, allowing him to gain more traction especially after the recall election some months ago. As just over 70% of the population is vaccinated, most people can enjoy the new freedoms of the mandate while staying safe and still masking up if need be. Local businesses can still require the use of masks inside their shops, showing how masks can slowly be phased out in California to ensure case numbers stay below.

Bigger events where 1,000 or more people are indoor in a single place will either have to be vaccinated or show a negative test within 72 hours; those who are unvaccinated still also have to wear masks, as they are more at risk than those who’ve received the vaccination shot. In contrast, outdoor events where 10,000 or more people are attending won’t require vaccinations but masks and recent negative tests are highly recommended.

California schools are continuing to watch the schools in terms of coronavirus case increases, carefully checking to see when it’s time to lift the mask mandate in schools. Health workers for the state mentioned that they’re “continuing to work with education, public health, and community leaders to update masking requirements at schools, to adapt to changing conditions and ensure the safety of kids, teachers, and staff.” It is likely that a change in the school’s mask mandates will come in the near future, though students will have to wait.

The mandate was earlier re-put into place following the great surge of cases during the holiday Omicron surge, and had been extended to ensure Californians could be as safe as possible. The mandate was under pressure from California Republicans and other conservative leaders after multiple other Democratic governors announced they would be lifting restrictions in indoor places as well as in schools. If cases jump up again, Newsom could be given another reason to reinstate the order and cause people to go back to pandemic norms.

The mask mandate has kept many people safe throughout California and will slowly be taken out, piece by piece, to reward Californians for keeping case levels low and to ensure it stays that way. With that in mind, bigger population centers in the state such as LA County are keeping the order until COVID-19 is virtually eliminated from anywhere within its borders. Everyone is working towards slowly ending the pandemic and will return things back to the normal if no crises become present.

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