New Stanislaus County public health order requires masks inside as COVID-19 cases surge
Stanislaus County will require people to wear a mask indoors in public settings and workplaces, effective Saturday, in an effort to slow down the recent COVID-19 surge.
The county announced the public health order in a news release Thursday. It said a large increase in COVID hospitalizations is threatening the local healthcare system.
Since California reopened its economy and lifted most health restrictions June 15, the county’s daily case rate has increased nine-fold and test positivity has risen four-fold, the news release said.
Starting Saturday at 12:01 a.m, the county order requires everyone to wear face coverings when indoors at work and in stores, offices and other buildings. Exceptions are limited. The county is recommending businesses provide face coverings for customers who enter their premises.
“To stem this rapid increase in COVID-19 transmission and hospitalizations, the best protection for our community against this virus is to continue to increase the number of people vaccinated,” the news release said. “The least disruptive and most immediately impactful additional measure to take is the universal use of face coverings, also known as masking, while indoors.”
The county said the number of COVID patients in local hospitals reached 299 on Wednesday, an increase from 38 patients the day after the state’s reopening in mid-June. The hospitals are also receiving patients suffering from regular health conditions and people with medical needs related to the wildfires.
The state followed the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in recommending mask wearing, regardless of vaccine status, in indoor public settings after health restrictions were lifted in June. With the wave of infections driven by the coronavirus delta variant, the county said it’s necessary to elevate the mask recommendation to a requirement.
“The decision to go forward with a masking mandate is based on the need to protect our healthcare system,” Dr. Julie Vaishampayan, county public health officer, said in the news release. “There is a concerning rise in hospitalizations that is threatening hospital capacity. Masking is an essential tool that limits the transmission of the Delta variant as we continue to vaccinate the people who live, work, and learn in Stanislaus County.”
Vito Chiesa, chairman of the county Board of Supervisors, said there’ s concern over the increase in COVID hospitalizations. The number of COVID-infected patients in hospital intensive care units exceeded 70 early this week, leaving a small number of those beds available.
“Especially, when you look at the non-COVID-19 demands on our hospitals, we need to do something to protect our local hospitals so we have capacity to take care of everyday medical needs,” Chiesa said. “From what the CDC and the (California health department) have learned about masking, it looks like masking is the least disruptive measure to slow the rate of transmission and keep our county moving forward.”
County health officials will assess the situation with hospitals and COVID-19 transmission as it evolves and may modify the health order or issue additional orders as circumstances dictate, the county said.
The county Health Services Agency advised people who are not vaccinated, and those at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19, to take additional precautions in addition to masking, such as social distancing, regular hand-washing and not touching their eyes or faces.
The county made another plea for people who have delayed getting the vaccine shots, advising them to roll up their sleeves. The vaccines are effective against the delta variant and other coronavirus variants, the county said, adding that thousands of partially vaccinated individuals should get a second dose.
“All residents 12 and older are strongly encouraged to get vaccinated as soon as possible,” the news release said.
County health officials prepared the order after a three-day total of 1,002 new cases of COVID-19 were reported Monday, followed by 800-plus on Tuesday. Wednesday, the daily update on the surge reported eight additional deaths and Thursday’s update included 263 new cases and nine more deaths, pushing the total to 1,159 since April 2020.
The county had 45 deaths in August, compared with 18 in July and just nine in June.
What are the penalties for violations?
The county health order does not outline specific penalties for violations, but violation of orders issued by a public health officer is a misdemeanor in California. County sheriffs and city police chiefs may enforce health orders, according to the California Peace Officers’ Association.
The Stanislaus County order requires face coverings to be worn, regardless of vaccination status, over the mouth and nose “in all indoor public settings, venues, gatherings and workplaces, (including) offices, retail stores, restaurants and bars, theaters, family entertainment centers, conference centers, and state and local government offices serving the public.”
Business owners, venue operators and hosts responsible for indoor public settings must require patrons to wear face coverings regardless of vaccination status and also post signs communicating the requirement. They are strongly encouraged to provide masks at no cost to patrons, the order says.
The county order has some exceptions, such as people working alone in a closed office. There’s no requirement to wear a mask while eating or drinking, swimming or showering at a fitness center or during a medical or cosmetic procedure on the nose or face.
County public health has a list of vaccination clinics at www.schsa.org.
This story was originally published September 2, 2021 at 1:12 PM.
