Starting Tuesday, indoor mask mandate returns for Sonoma, Marin and other Bay Area counties
Starting Tuesday it will be mandatory to wear masks indoors in public places in Marin and Sonoma counties, while Napa and Solano counties plan to continue to follow the less restrictive state guidelines which merely suggest the wearing of masks indoors.
This is for everyone—vaccinated or not—at all businesses.
“I think all of us health care workers are not surprised (by the mask mandate), but we are disappointed. We are disappointed that (the virus) is still here and there are people who are choosing not to be vaccinated who are quite eligible to be vaccinated,” Dr. Karin Shavelson, chief medical officer at MarinHealth, told the Business Journal. “And we are disappointed because it makes our jobs and our work harder, but it is also now a threat to populations that can’t be vaccinated such as children age ages 11 and under.
“The real cure for this is a vaccine and it is readily available. I am fearful we will have to learn to live with this virus and that would probably not be necessary if more people would be vaccinated.”
Marin County on Monday joined Alameda, Contra Costa, Sonoma, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara and the city of Berkeley in issuing the health order. Yolo, Sacramento and Los Angeles counties already have implemented the indoor mask mandate.
The mask-wearing decision comes as the Delta variant spreads throughout the Bay Area and elsewhere in the country and world. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has called this strain of COVID-19 more contagious than chicken pox.
Sonoma County is reporting 11 new cases a day for every 100,000 residents. This is more than five times as many as were reported in April.
“When you have a variant that is 60% more transmissible, this is the outcome,” Sonoma County Health Officer Dr. Sundari Mase told the Press-Democrat
MarinHealth on Aug. 2 had six patients with COVID-19, three of whom were in the intensive care unit. Shavelson said this was a big bump because the hospital for quite a while was down to one, even zero patients. Of the six, four were unvaccinated, one was partially vaccinated, and one was a breakthrough case, meaning the person had been fully vaccinated.
Marin County on Monday reported 49 new cases. The number of people getting the virus is greater for those who are unvaccinated, compared to those who have received the shot. Of those eligible for the vaccine in Marin, 93.3% have received at least one shot, while 86.2% are fully vaccinated.
“We are averaging 40 to 50 new cases a day, which is a stark contrast before June 15 when the state reopened and we were seeing a couple cases a day or even zero cases,” Laine Hendricks, spokeswoman for Marin county, told the Business Journal.
MarinHealth as of Aug. 23 will mandate all employees of the healthcare system be vaccinated. Proof of a COVID test will not be enough. Exemptions for health and religious reasons will be considered. Shavelson says about 8% of the 2,130 staff members do not meet this criterion now, but expects that number to decrease in the next few weeks.
Solano and Napa counties are deferring to what the state and federal guidelines are regarding mask wearing, which today is a recommendation to wear them inside in public venues. It is not mandatory.
Even though Solano County’s COVID numbers have dramatically increased of late, the belief is that the spread is in private settings, not public.
“When we are doing case investigations most are related to social gathering in homes, barbecues and parties and that sort of thing,” Jayleen Richards, Solano County public health administrator, told the Business Journal. “We are not seeing the spread in the business sector. That is why at this time we want to follow the CDC and California Department of Public Health mask covering guidelines.”
Solano County is seeing more than 100 new cases a day. That is about what the rate was this time last year. The new case rate in June was about 17, Richards said.
Most of the new cases, Richards said, are unvaccinated people and younger people, those in the 18 to 40 range. Of the eligible people in Solano County, 70% have at least one shot of the coronavirus vaccine, while 58% are fully vaccinated.
All health officials are urging people to get vaccinated if eligible, which means being at least 12 years old.
“A mask mandate may disincentivize those people who are undecided about vaccination,” Dr. Karen Relucio, Napa County public health officer, told the Business Journal. Even so, she added, “The most important strategy to reduce COVID-19 transmission and hospitalization is vaccination and Napa County is continuing to educate and encourage people to get vaccinated as soon as possible.”
While makes are not mandatory throughout Napa County, they are required on public transportation, indoors in K-12 schools and childcare facilities, in emergency and homeless shelters, healthcare settings, jails and detention centers, long term care settings, and adult and senior care facilities
Napa County, until July, was seeing new coronavirus cases going down each month after hitting a high in December 2020 with 2,600 cases. In June there were 120 new cases, while last month that more than doubled to 288.
Of the current cases, 35.3% are 25 to 44 years of age, county officials reported Monday. The unvaccinated population is being hit the hardest, accounting for 72% of the new cases in Napa County.
This is a developing story , check back for more details.
