SANTA CLARA, Calif. (KRON) – The one county in the Bay Area not adjusting its mask mandate is Santa Clara. Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody says the area isn’t where it needs to be with cases and hospitalizations.
Several businesses owners are upset about the delay.
“Masks in Santa Clara County, people will be required to wear them in all indoor public settings until we meet those metrics,” Dr. Sara Cody said.
Dr. Cody says Santa Clara County is doing well with vaccines, with 85% of the population fully vaccinated but hospitalizations and daily cases are still too high — Around 1,900 cases per day over a seven-day average.
Dr. Cody says that number needs to be at 550 for masks to come off indoors.
“Still have very high levels of community transmission. Still higher than at any other point in the pandemic pre-omicron,” Dr. Cody said.
The announcement from the Santa Clara Public Health Department wasn’t easy for gym owners like Mauricio Mejia to hear.
He says most members at his gym, Punch King Fitness in San Jose, don’t want to wear a mask while working out and many stopped going to the gym all together when mask mandates are in place.
“Masks are just not the way to go and not only that, but from a business standpoint as well it’s hurting. It’s put a lot of people out of business,” Mejia said.
The pandemic caused a drop in membership at Standard Strength in Campbell.
Owner Kaleo Cornwell says that won’t improve until masking in Santa Clara falls in line with the state.
“Close to 140 members currently which is down, pre-pandemic we were well above 180 so we’re still on our way back,” Cornwell said.
Cornwell and Mejia both say that gyms are as safe of an environment as possible when it comes to public health.
Confused as to why Santa Clara County is last in line in the Bay Area with allowing fully vaccinated individuals the ability to take their masks off indoors—when others will be able to just a few miles away.
“We’re not that far away and for that reasoning, it just doesn’t make any sense. It’s just very disappointing that leadership is taking that kind of position,” Mejia said.
Dr. Cody says hospitalizations and case rights are moving in the right direction for masks to come off indoors. Though it won’t be next week, she expects to be able to remove Santa Clara County’s mask mandate by the first or second week of March.