SLO County will lift its indoor mask mandate next week
Vaccinated San Luis Obispo County residents can leave their mask at home beginning Feb. 16.
The health officer order that required masks indoors will be lifted next Wednesday in alignment with the state, according to a news release from the Public Health Department.
The indoor mask mandate was reinstituted Sept. 1, 2021, during the delta surge and carried San Luis Obispo County through the omicron surge, the release said.
“Now that SLO County has weathered the worst of this omicron surge, we can lift this requirement and look to our community to wear a mask when it’s most important to do so: in crowded indoor spaces, if you are at higher risk or close to others who are, if you feel unwell, or if you are in any of the settings still covered by state requirements,” said County Health Officer Dr. Penny Borenstein in the release.
The state order requires people who are not fully vaccinated to wear a mask indoors in all settings, the release said.
Regardless of vaccination status, there are some settings where masks will still be required. These include healthcare facilities, schools, child care settings, homeless shelters, emergency shelters, corrections, long-term care facilities, and on public transit, according to the release.
The omicron surge has started to recede, although the coronavirus is still spreading in San Luis Obispo County.
There are 30 residents hospitalized with severe COVID-19, down from 67 at the peak of the omicron wave and 67 when the indoor mask mandate was established last September, the release said.
The best way to stay protected from severe coronavirus is to be up-to-date on vaccines, officials say.
In January, unvaccinated Californians were 30 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than someone who received their booster dose, according to the news release.
“Throughout the pandemic, we have sought to balance public health measures with pre-pandemic normalcy — this change reflects another such moment,” Borenstein said.
