Announcement from the California Department of Health and Human Services

The COVID-19 vaccine is still effective in preventing severe illness, hospitalization and death caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. People who have not been vaccinated are more likely to be infected and spread the virus, which spreads through the air and is concentrated indoors. To ensure that we work together to protect the health and well-being of all Californians; keep schools open and accept face-to-face teaching; in order to keep California’s economy open and prosperous, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) requires that in the next four weeks (December 2021) From 15th to 15th January), regardless of the vaccine status, masks must be worn in all indoor public places, 2022).

This new measure brings additional mitigation measures, because the Omicron variant is a variant of concern flagged by the World Health Organization, has been detected in California, the United States and around the world, and may be more easily spread than the original SARS-CoV- 2 Virus and Delta variants. In addition, this new measure brings additional protection for individuals, families and communities to travel and spend more time indoors during holidays.

Since Thanksgiving, the average seven-day case rate across the state has increased by 47%, and the number of hospitalizations has increased by 14%. Although the percentage of Californians who are fully vaccinated and boosted vaccinated continues to increase, we still have areas in the state with low vaccine coverage, which puts individuals and communities at greater risk of COVID-19. Given that the current hospital census has reached or exceeded capacity, even a moderate surge in cases and hospitalizations may have a major impact on the health care delivery system in certain areas of California. Other states and countries with similar vaccination rates and relaxed mask requirements are seeing a surge in COVID-19 cases and increasing pressure on their healthcare systems.

As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently pointed out in the updated "Science Bulletin"[1], at least ten studies have confirmed the benefits of universal masking in community-level analysis: in a unified hospital system, [2] City, [3] Two U.S. states, [4], [5] One is composed of 15 U.S. states and Washington DC, [6], [7] and Canada [8] and U.S. [9], [10 ], [11] Nationwide. Each analysis shows that the number of new infections has dropped significantly in accordance with the instructions for general-purpose masks. Two of these studies [12], [13] and additional analysis of data from 200 countries including the United States [14] also showed a reduction in mortality. Another 10-site study showed that the rate of hospitalization decreased after the mask mandate was implemented. [15] 

Facts have proved that the implementation of universal mask requirements can not only reduce the infection rate, but also slow community transmission. A series of cross-sectional surveys conducted in the United States showed that a 10% increase in the number of self-reported wearing masks would triple the likelihood of slowing community transmission. [16] Compared with other parts of the United States, California schools’ mask requirements allow us to keep schools open. California accounts for approximately 12% of all American students, but only 1% of school closures related to COVID-19. During the delta surge in July and August of 2021, nationwide, the incidence of pediatric cases in jurisdictions where schools did not have mask requirements increased even more, and the probability of an outbreak in schools was 3.5 times that of areas without school mask requirements. [17], [18]

In the workplace, employers are subject to Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS), or in certain workplaces subject to Cal/OSHA Aerosol Transmitted Diseases (ATD) standards, and should consult these regulations for other Applicable requirements.

From December 15, 2021 to January 15, 2022, everyone in all indoor public places needs to wear a mask, regardless of the vaccination situation (surgical masks or higher-grade respirators are recommended).

Please refer to the state health official order issued on July 26, 2021 for a complete list of high-risk clusters and other health care locations where unvaccinated workers need to use surgical masks, as well as health care and long-term health care for unvaccinated workers. Recommendations for the use of respirators in nursing care Situations or facilities in the environment not covered by Cal OSHA ETS or ATD.

For more information on the types of masks, the most effective masks, and ensuring that you wear a suitable mask, individuals should refer to CDPH Make the most of masks and refer to the CDPH Mask Guide FAQ for more information.

No one is allowed to wear a mask as a condition for participating in activities or entering the enterprise.

The following persons can avoid wearing masks at any time:

[1] Science briefing: Community use masks to control the spread of SARS-CoV-2 | CDC

[2] Wang X, Ferro EG, Zhou G, Hashimoto D, Bhatt DL. The association between widespread masking in the health care system and SARS-CoV-2 positivity among health care workers. Magazine. 2020;324(7):703–704.

[3] Mitze T, Kosfeld R, Rode J, Wälde K. Masks have greatly reduced the number of COVID-19 cases in Germany. Proc Natl Acad Sci US A. 2020;117(51):32293–32301.

[4] Gallaway MS, Rigler J, Robinson S, etc. Trends in the incidence of COVID-19 after mitigation measures are implemented-Arizona, January 22 to August 7, 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2020;69(40):1460-1463.

[5] Van Dyke ME, Rogers TM, Pevzner E, etc. Trends in the incidence of COVID-19 at the county level in counties with and without masks-Kansas, June 1 to August 23, 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2020;69(47):1777-1781.

[6] Lu W, Whitby GL. Community use of masks and COVID-19: Evidence from natural experiments authorized by the United States. Health Aff (Millwood). 2020;39(8):1419-1425.

[7] Hatzius J, Struyven D, Rosenberg I. Masks and GDP. Updated on June 29, 2020. Visited on July 8, 2020.

[8] Karaivanov A, Lu SE, Shigeoka H, ​​Chen C, Pamplona S. Masks, public policy and slowing the spread of COVID-19: evidence from Canada. J Health Economics. 2021;78:102475.

[9] Joo H, Miller GF, Sunshine G, etc. The growth rate of COVID-19 hospitalizations related to statewide mask requirements has declined-10 states, March-October 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2021;70(6):212-216.

[10] Chernozhukov V, Kasahara H, Schrimpf P. The causal impact of masks, policies, and behaviors on the early COVID-19 pandemic of the American Economic Journal. 2021;220(1):23-62.

[11] Guy GP Jr, Lee FC, Sunshine G, etc. The state government issued a mask requirement association and allowed dining in local restaurants under the condition of county-level COVID-19 case and mortality growth rates-United States, March 1 to December 31, 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2021;70(10):350–354.

[16] Rader B, White LF, Burns MR, etc. Wearing masks in the United States and controlling the spread of SARS-CoV-2: a cross-sectional study. The Lancet Digital Health. 2021; 3(3): e148-e157.

[17] Jehn M, McCullough JM, Dale AP, Gue M, Eller B, Cullen T, Scott SE. The link between K-12 school mask policy and school-related COVID-19 outbreaks — Maricopa and Pima counties, Arizona, July-August 2021. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2021; 70(39); 1372-1373.

[18] Budzyn SE, Panaggio MJ, Parks SE, Papazian M, Magid J, Eng M, Barrios LC. Pediatric COVID-19 cases in counties with and without school mask requirements-United States, July 1 to September 4, 2021. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2021; 70(39); 1377-1378.

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