Santa Clara County could drop its indoor mask mandate as soon as next week, according to Dr. Sara Cody, county public health officer.
The county reached a seven-day rolling average of 550 or fewer COVID-19 cases per day today (Feb. 24) for the first time since updated criteria were announced last fall, fulfilling the final metric for lifting the mandate for vaccinated individuals. If the average stays consistent or continues to decline, then the indoor masking requirement would end March 2.
Unvaccinated individuals would still be required to wear masks in indoor public settings, and the state still requires masks in K-12 schools, child care facilities, health care facilities and in public transit, shelter and jail settings.
The county’s Public Health Department set three metrics for eliminating the mask mandate. The first two – vaccination and hospitalization rates – have already been met. More than 80% of eligible county residents are vaccinated, and hospitalization rates have stabilized.
Santa Clara County has been more restrictive than other Bay Area counties during the pandemic, drawing both criticism and praise when opting to retain the indoor mask mandate when all other counties in the region dropped it Feb. 15. Cody does not regret the county’s decision to hold out.
“Sticking to our metrics has helped to ensure that everyone in our community is protected – the elderly, young children, essential workers and those who are immunocompromised – as our community transmission settles down,” Cody said.
The indoor mask mandate could be reinstated if the weekly average number of COVID cases once again exceeds 550. It would generally take more than one or two days of numbers higher than 550 to restore the mask requirement. As of today, county officials are not expecting the numbers to spike anytime soon.
