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The indoor mask mandate in California schools is being lifted at the end of next week. Governor Gavin Newsom announced masks will no longer be required on campus after March 11th following a continued downturn in COVID cases and hospitalizations. The announcement comes two weeks after California ended the statewide mask mandate for vaccinated individuals. Masks will still be required in health care facilities, homeless shelters, and on public transit.
Meanwhile, it’s unclear if Sonoma County’s 40 school districts will follow the state’s lead, and if they’ll all make the same decision to lift the mask mandate. Santa Rosa City Schools, the largest district in the county, plans to take a wait-and-see approach. Officials will hold talks with unions and other stakeholders before deciding if masks can come off. Also beginning March 1st, the state will also no longer require face masks for everyone in most indoor settings, regardless of their vaccination status. But, masks will still be “strongly recommended.”