CA Mask Mandate Officially Ending June 15

CALIFORNIA — Gov. Gavin Newsom first ordered all Californians to wear face coverings on June 18, 2020. Nearly one year later, on June 15, the state will officially lift that mandate for fully vaccinated residents, following federal guidelines.

Until that day — when the state intends to fully lift coronavirus restrictions — the state will keep its existing mask rules in place.

"This four-week period will give Californians time to prepare for this change," Dr. Mark Ghaly, the state's top health official, told reporters Monday.

It will ultimately be up to the state's 58 counties to set their own masking rules.

"Always, local health jurisdictions can put in place stricter guidelines than the state," Ghaly said. "And of course, private businesses can drive how they implement this as well as throughout this pandemic."

Earlier this month, the state gave a green light for fully vaccinated individuals to ditch their masks outdoors. The decision to allow fully vaccinated Californians to unmask both indoors and outdoors raised important questions: How will it be enforced? Will residents need to flash a vaccine card to enter certain events or businesses unmasked?

For now, it appears that California will go with the honor system. That could change in coming weeks.

"I think that's why California has given ourselves some time to answer the question you just raised and a few others moving forward in the next couple of weeks," Ghaly said, responding to a reporter's question about enforcing the mandate.

Trader Joe's became one of the first retailers to drop its mask requirement for fully vaccinated shoppers. Walmart, Target and Costco jumped on the bandwagon shortly thereafter.

The state will work with businesses and employers in the coming weeks to draw up guidance for how sectors can ensure the mandate is followed, Ghaly said.

"We do plan to continue to work with ... business sectors, employers throughout the state, on exactly how this can be done to ensure that those ... without masks are vaccinated and making sure that we continue to provide a high degree of protection to California," he said.

Until then, Ghaly urged those who have not been vaccinated to get inoculated before the state reopens on June 15, which is also when the state's tiering system expires.

"And I'll also say that four weeks between now and June 15 allows a number of Californians who may be eligible to get vaccinated but were considering waiting a little longer," he said. "Now that they see that there'll be a little less masking out in our communities, they may decide that this is the week to get vaccinated."

To date, the state has administered more than 34 million vaccine shots and has consistently reported a 1 percent positivity rate — among the lowest in the nation.

The decision comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's relaxed its mask mandate last week. In the days since, confusion festered in the Golden State, with some calling for an immediate erasure of the mandate and others urging the state to hold onto it.

Many other states lifted their mask requirements last week after the CDC announced that it was safe for fully vaccinated people to unmask in most situations.

Throughout the duration of the coronavirus pandemic, face coverings became something of a political statement, which could carry on even past the state's reopening day.

"The guidance was prematurely released. We believe there's a lot of work to do to prevent the pandemic from going into a fourth surge," said Deborah Burger, president of National Nurses United, according to KCRA.

Meanwhile, Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease expert at the University of California, San Francisco, called for the immediate lifting of the mask mandate last week.

"There is immense collateral damage that comes from not easing restrictions after most people are vaccinated," Gandhi told SF Gate on Friday. "It sends a message that there’s still a danger when there isn't one, and then schools remain closed and businesses suffer. Some collateral damage from restrictions needed to occur when we didn’t have vaccines, but now that we have them, there's no justification."

Newsom’s former chief of staff, Ann O’Leary, was among those upset by the CDC’s decision.

"My blood is boiling that @CDCgov acted so irresponsibly to adopt an 'honor code' for public mask wearing,” she tweeted. “It’s not good public health advice to say to parents whose kids can’t get vaccinated, just trust the public to do the right thing with all the politicization over masks."

Newsom, like the administration of President Joe Biden, has been under pressure to ease mask restrictions, particularly for those who are fully vaccinated and as coronavirus cases ease nationwide.

The Democratic governor is facing a recall election this fall driven largely by frustration with his handling of the pandemic.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.