Governor Gavin Newsom stated on Monday that California will stop its statewide indoor mask rule for vaccinated adults next week, nearly two years after it was originally enacted, citing a 65 percent decline in Covid-19 infections since the peak of the Omicron outbreak.
The Biden administration has failed to provide a strategy or blueprint for how states should handle the transition from the Covid-19 emergency to a more normal state of affairs. However, as the latest surge fades, many governments are beginning to back off on Covid-19 mitigation efforts. The governors of Connecticut, New Jersey, and Delaware, as well as the Oregon Department of Health, have recently set deadlines for the repeal of their states’ school mask laws.
According to a person with firsthand knowledge of the subject, California officials have suggested that school masking policies will be changed to reflect the new statewide regulation.
Since June 2020, California has been one of the first states to make facial coverings mandatory in public areas.
Counties with tougher regulations, such as Los Angeles and much of the Bay Area, may continue to enforce the restrictions.
The relaxation of the regulation will take effect two days after the state hosts the Super Bowl at Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium.
