SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Despite the mask mandate being lifted in all but one Bay Area county and the city of Berkeley for vaccinated people next week, you still may need to keep the mask handy.
Bay Area health officers are now leaving it up to a business to require masking indoors to protect its employees and customers.
This gives businesses, venues, and organizations the right to require you to mask up starting Feb. 16 — the exception being Santa Clara County.
Keep in mind if you’re unvaccinated, you have to wear a mask in all indoor settings.
If you’re vaccinated, but still feel more comfortable wearing a mask indoors, you also have every right to.
Bay Area health officers advise that the safest choice moving forward is to wear a mask indoors, especially if it’s crowded.
They contribute to the decline in omicron cases to mask-wearing, booster, and vaccination rates.
Places like Berkeley are seeing fewer cases — averaging 98 cases a day which is a huge decrease from 438 cases a day on Jan. 14.
Currently, the city has a 92 percent vaccination rate with more than half fully vaccinated with boosters.
The state does require everyone vaccinated or not to wear a mask in these settings:
- Public transportation
- Health care settings
- Correctional facilities
- Homeless shelters
- Long-term care facilities
- K-12 schools and childcare settings
The mask mandate lifts in the ten counties and city of Berkeley on Feb. 16.
Just remember to have that mask handy.