CA Mask Mandate Likely Ending Soon, Governor Says

CALIFORNIA — Sick of wearing your mask? Californians may no longer be required to wear a face covering in most public situations as of next month.

On June 15, masks will only be required in "massively large," dense indoor settings "where people around the world ... are convening," Gov. Gavin Newsom told Los Angeles Fox TV affiliate KTTV Tuesday.

"Otherwise, we'll make guidance recommendations but no mandates, ... no restrictions on businesses large and small," he said.

NEWS: @GavinNewsom tells me CA's mask mandate will almost entirely go away on June 15th.

"Only in those massively large [indoor] settings where people from around the world are convening & people are mixing in real dense spaces. Otherwise...no mandates"

More @TheIssueIsShow pic.twitter.com/17yyyt0Unb
— Elex Michaelson (@Elex_Michaelson) May 12, 2021

Possible mask mandate changes aside, June 15 will be a big day for Californians.

Officials announced in April that June 15 is the day that COVID-19 safety restrictions will be lifted on all businesses, assuming continued vaccine availability and no spikes in COVID-19 hospitalizations, particularly among people who have been vaccinated. California has not yet seen problems with either of these issues.

On the same day, California plans to do away with its four-tiered, color-coded COVID-19 risk assessment system known as the Blueprint for a Safer Economy.

State public health officials chose the June 15 date because it comes two months after the state opened up vaccine eligibility to all Californians 16 and older.

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Should the mask mandate be lifted, it would be the latest step in California's effort to loosen restrictions in an attempt to return to something that more closely resembles normalcy.

California partially aligned with the new face mask guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention one month ago. The guidance allowed fully vaccinated people to walk maskless outdoors unless they are at a crowded event.

Until June 15, unvaccinated Californians must still wear face coverings in all settings.

Californians have long been subject to some of the strictest COVID-19 rules in the nation as the hard-hit Golden State sought to curb the spread of the coronavirus. But looser restrictions appear to be on the horizon as California continues to make progress in vaccinating residents.

About half of California residents — 19 million people — have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to a Los Angeles Times analysis.

California appears to be on track to reach herd immunity by June 15, doctors from the University of California, San Francisco told Bay Area ABC affiliate KGO last week.

Sign up for a COVID-19 vaccine appointment here.

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