Health & Fitness
Bay Area Health Officers Recommend Masks As U.S. Marks 1M COVID Deaths
Bay Area residents are asked to mask indoors in public settings as omicron subvariants fuel another rise in COVID-19 cases.
BAY AREA, CA — Health officers from across the Bay Area urged people to continue taking safety precautions, such as wearing a mask indoors, as COVID-19 cases have gone up again in the region and the United States marked 1 million known deaths related to COVID-19 this week.
The 12 Bay Area health officers from 11 counties — Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Monterey, Napa, San Benito, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and Sonoma — and the city of Berkeley endorsed a statement by the Santa Clara County Public Health Department on Friday, as the region currently has California’s highest COVID infection rates.
Masks are no longer required but are strongly recommended by the California Department of Public Health in indoor public settings.
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Most Bay Area public schools have also made masking optional since March, though some districts have continued urging students to mask up.
“If you’ve chosen not to wear a mask in indoor public places recently, now is a good time to start again,” said Dr. George Han, deputy health officer for the County of Santa Clara Public Health Department. “Highly contagious subvariants are spreading here. If you add layers of protection like a high quality mask, it reduces risk to you and the chance you’ll infect others.”
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The health officers recommended wearing high-quality masks — such as N95 or KN95 or snug-fitting surgical masks — indoors. People should also keep rapid tests handy and get booster shots when eligible, according to the health officers.
"There's a lot of COVID out there right now, so it's time to take more precautionary measures to protect yourself and your loved ones," said Santa Cruz County Health Officer Gail Newel.
The Bay Area, like much of the country, is seeing an increase in COVID-19 cases due to “highly contagious omicron subvariants.” Sewer sheds are also seeing heightened virus levels, and actual case rates are believed to be higher than reported because of the use of home rapid tests.
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