These COVID Restrictions Remain After June 15 In Riverside County

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — For more than a year, Riverside County has aligned with state and federal COVID-19 health mandates, and it will continue doing so — which means nearly all restrictions are lifted effective 12:01 a.m. June 15.

The statewide rollback on most health mandates was confirmed Friday by the California Department of Public Health with a new state order. While nearly all restrictions are rescinded under the order, some remain in place.

For example, Californians must follow updated guidance on face coverings. Vaccinated people can stop wearing masks in most situations except on public transportation; indoors at K-12 schools, childcare and other youth settings; health care settings; prisons, jails and other detention centers; homeless shelters; emergency shelters; and cooling centers, according to the new guidance.

Masks are required for unvaccinated people in indoor public settings and businesses, although the venues are not required to check vaccination status. Businesses will be allowed, however, to require masks for all people if they choose, the new guidance states.

For employees who work indoors, a decision on masking is pending — even for vaccinated workers. Under Cal/OSHA's rules, all workers will still be required to wear masks indoors until Thursday at least. On that day, the state's workplace regulators will vote on masking rules.

Other exemptions from mask-wearing include children under 2; people with medical, mental health conditions, or with disabilities that prevent mask-wearing; individuals with hearing impairment; and workplace conditions that make mask-wearing dangerous.

"Mega" indoor events (greater than 5,000 attendees) — like concerts, indoor sporting events, expos, conferences, etc. — will not be required to limit capacity, however, they must check the vaccination status of attendees, according to the CDPH. For unvaccinated attendees, a pre-entry negative COVID test will be required. This same guidance is recommended for outdoor mega events but is not required under the new state order.

The latest state updates will be in place through October 1.

"The state will assess conditions by September 1, 2021, to determine whether updated requirements or recommendations are needed beyond October 1, 2021," according to the CDPH.

Riverside County COVID numbers

Riverside County Monday reported two additional virus-related deaths, 17 newly confirmed coronavirus cases and a slight increase in the number of COVID-positive patients hospitalized.

The total number of COVID-19 cases recorded since the public health documentation period began in March 2020 was 301,329, according to the Riverside University Health System, which reported 4,620 confirmed deaths.

County health officials do not post updated statistics on weekends.

There were 33 people countywide hospitalized with coronavirus as of Monday, two more than Friday. That includes nine intensive care unit patients, three more than Friday.

As of Monday, 42.6 percent of the county's vaccination-eligible population was fully vaccinated, according to RUHS. The figure is well below the statewide figure of 55.2 percent.

County residents looking to get vaccinated can visit www.rivcoph.org/COVID-19-Vacci... or call the county's 211 helpline.