Eli Wolfe reporting for San Jose Spotlight
Santa Clara County and seven other Bay Area counties have issued a new health order requiring masks indoors in public places. The mandate applies to everyone regardless of vaccination status.
Officials announced the health order during a news conference on Monday [8/2/21]. The order, which takes effect midnight on Tuesday, applies to most public settings, with limited exceptions, in Santa Clara County, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Sonoma and the city of Berkeley.
People in restaurants or bars can remove masks to eat and drink. But masks must remain on inside gyms, movie theaters, hair and nail salons or retailers. In Santa Clara County, businesses are obligated to enforce the mask mandate. Residents can submit complaints about businesses failing to do this on the county website.
Officials said this is a necessary step because the Delta variant is responsible for a significant spike in hospitalizations of unvaccinated individuals. Some vaccinated individuals have also been hospitalized, although those cases are infrequent and tend to be elderly and with significant co-morbidities.
The announcement reflects guidance from both California Department of Public Health and the CDC.
Source: San Jose Spotlight
Contact Eli Wolfe at eli@sanjosespotlight.com