Alameda County has issued a new warrant for the mask in most public indoor facilities, effective Friday, as coronavirus cases rise.
The county, home to Oakland, is the second most populous in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Alameda County move represents the first time a California county has issued a mask warrant since the Omicron winter wave vanished.
The ordinance does not apply to K-12 school facilities until the end of the school year, nor does it apply to Berkeley, which is located in Alameda County but has its own public health department. Berkeley’s K-12 public school system, however, has already implemented an interior mask mandate.
“The rise in COVID cases in Alameda County is leading to more people being hospitalized and today’s action reflects the severity of the moment,” County Health Officer Dr Nicholas Moss said in a statement. by Alameda.
“We cannot ignore the data and we cannot predict when this wave might end. Wearing our masks again gives us the best opportunity to limit the impact of a prolonged wave on our communities. “
Alameda County has one of the highest coronavirus transmission rates in California, reporting around 354 cases per week for every 100,000 residents in the past week. That figure has risen 20% since mid-May. A rate of 100 cases per week or more for every 100,000 residents is considered high.
The rate of new weekly hospitalizations has increased significantly in the past week. Alameda County is now reporting 9.3 new coronavirus positive weekly hospitalizations per 100,000 residents, a 26% increase from the previous week. This is close to the threshold of 10 new coronavirus positive weekly hospitalizations per 100,000 residents, which would place Alameda County in a high level of COVID-19 community as defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC recommends that people in high-level COVID-19 community counties practice universal masking in indoor public areas. A high level of COVID-19 community is an indication of possible strain on the hospital system.
The restoration of mask order in Alameda County comes as coronavirus cases in Southern California also continue to rise and cause disruption.
“If we continue on the current trajectory, we may find that cases and hospitalizations end up putting stress on our healthcare system within weeks,” Los Angeles County Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer said during a recent briefing.