Seven Bay Area counties have issued renewed mask mandates for residents, regardless of vaccination status, on the heels of a similar move weeks ago by Los Angeles County.
Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Sonoma counties tendered mandates effective Tuesday morning requiring residents to wear masks indoors in public settings.
The order comes amid growing public health outcry over the Delta variant and its effect on unvaccinated Americans.
“Across the Bay Area region we are seeing COVID-19 cases surging and hospitalizations are on a steep rise again, particularly among the unvaccinated. In Contra Costa County we’re alarmed at the rate at which COVID patients are filling our community hospital beds,” said Dr. Chris Farnitano, health officer for Contra Costa County.
A growing share of California counties and Gov. Gavin Newsom have recommended the resumption of mask wearing in indoor public settings to reduce the spread of the Delta variant.
However, Newsom has dodged and sidestepped questions about a statewide mask mandate, often focusing on increasing California’s vaccination rate.
