BERKELEY, Calif. (KRON) – The city of Berkeley will be allowing vaccinated people to choose whether they want to wear their masks in certain indoor settings or not starting Feb. 16.
The city says this will be in effect where stricter rules have not been put in place. Masks, vaccines and boosters continue to be encouraged.
Officials advise that the safest choice moving forward will be to wear masks indoors, especially when it’s crowded.
“The decision to give organizations and vaccinated individuals more choices on masking starting Feb. 16 reflects a shared view by twelve of the Bay Area’s Health Officers about the nature of this surge: declining cases of a hyper-infectious variant and, amidst greater vaccinations and boosters, much fewer cases of hospitalizations and severe illness,” the city stated in a press release.
Masking will still be required for everyone in:
- Public transportation
- Health care settings
- Congregate settings like correctional facilities and homeless shelters
- Long term care facilities
- K-12 schools and childcare settings
“Our pandemic tools not only guide us through surges, but they also lay a foundation for safety once we are through the worst of a surge,” said Dr. Lisa B. Hernandez, the City of Berkeley Health Officer. “If you haven’t already, get vaccinated and boosted. Use masks to lower your risk, which includes your family’s medical vulnerability or the in places you are in.”
Berkeley is averaging 98 cases a day which is a huge decrease for 438 cases a day on Jan. 14.
Currently, the city has a 92% vaccination rate with more than half fully vaccinated with boosters.
Officials say vaccinations and boosters helped drive down severe illnesses which kept the hospitalizations down.
For more information, visit the City of Berkeley website.