California will lift mask mandate for vaccinated residents in indoor public places next week
Source: San Diego Union-Tribune
SAN FRANCISCO — With the Omicron coronavirus surge rapidly receding, California will lift its universal mask mandate for indoor public places next week, state officials announced Monday.
The lifting of the indoor mask mandate statewide will apply to counties without local mask orders of their own, such as San Diego, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, as well as swaths of the San Joaquin Valley. Other counties with local mask orders will remain in place, such as in Los Angeles County and much of the San Francisco Bay Area.
While this move doesn’t mean face coverings will be a thing of the past — they still will be required indoors for unvaccinated residents and for everyone in select settings, such as nursing homes or while aboard public transit — relaxing the roughly two-month-old order reflects the progress California has made in its battle against Omicron, even as officials say continued vigilance will be vital in keeping the state on the right track.
“Omicron has loosened its hold on California, vaccines for children under 5 are around the corner and access to COVID-19 treatments is improving,” said Dr. Tomás J. Aragón, the state’s public health officer. “With things moving in the right direction, we are making responsible modifications to COVID-19 prevention measures, while also continuing to develop a longer-term action plan for the state.”
Read more: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/california/story/2022-02-07/when-will-california-ease-mask-vaccine-rules
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... time to watch for pimples and places the razor didn't catch, again... but seriously, I'll stop wearing the mask when I'm ready. I'm going beyond next week.
outside of SF and LA, hardly anyone wears them. We're in the Central Valley, and yes, while many places may say masks are required, the rule is rarely enforced.
And I'm with Bill Maher on this one 
It seems some people want the mandate to go on indefinitely. I know some people who probably wear it in the shower. For those who feel safer with it on, more power to you, keep wearing it. But I think it's time we transition back to normalcy. At some point our mental health has to factor in to all of this, and living like hermits, foregoing most social interactions, has also been one of the many downsides these past couple of years.
