Yes! It took a state order, but face masks are finally mandatory in SLO County

Finally!

Gov. Gavin Newsom took the step that many local officials — including those here in San Luis Obispo County — were unwilling to risk.

He mandated that every Californian wear a face mask in all indoor public spaces, plus outdoors when 6 feet of distancing cannot be maintained.

It doesn’t matter if you’re from Lodi or Los Angeles. In California, you mask up.

Given how politicized masks have become, there’s no doubt that COVID deniers will see this as an infringement on their civil liberties.

It’s not.

New research shows masks reduce the spread of coronavirus. Period.

Yet many San Luis Obispo County residents have not been wearing face coverings in public — even when signs on the doors of businesses politely request their use.

Meanwhile, cases have been surging. On Wednesday, 20 new cases were reported in SLO County — a record for a single day. There also was a record number of active cases — 75, up from 60 reported on Tuesday.

On top of that, cases in neighboring Santa Barbara County are increasing, leading the state to put that county on a watch list. As of Wednesday, there were 2,115 cases and 22 deaths in Santa Barbara County, with the city of Santa Maria one of the hot spots.

That’s a strong indicator that we need to do more to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and requiring masks is an easy, inexpensive way to do that.

While there was little initial support for a countywide mask order, local officials were edging closer to that.

Health Officer Penny Borenstein is emphasizing the benefits of face coverings more than she has in the past, saying masks are proving to be an important component of the strategy to keep case numbers low.

“And the medical literature bears that out,” she told the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.

With more people venturing outside their homes now that restrictions are easing, masks are more important than ever.

Despite the recent uptick, SLO County — like many others in the state — has been continuing to forge ahead with reopening. On Wednesday, it was announced that indoor weddings — though not receptions — and spa services could resume on Friday.

Borenstein has previously said an increase in local cases is not unexpected, now that more venues are reopening. She’s also noted that there are plenty of hospital and ICU beds available, which had been a huge concern early on in the pandemic.

But that’s small comfort to people who are at high risk of becoming seriously ill should they catch the virus. They’d just as soon stay out of the hospital altogether, and they’ve been among the vocal advocates of a mandatory mask rule.

There were others: The San Luis Obispo County Democratic Party issued a resolution June 8, asking the county Board of Supervisors and all seven city councils to mandate masks in public spaces.

The cities of Pismo Beach and Grover Beach — which expect a lot of out-of-town tourists this summer — had passed measures requiring employee of businesses to wear masks, but not customers.

That’s better than nothing. But if the idea is to protect employees, weak efforts like those half-measures don’t cut it.

Here’s why: Masks create a barrier for respiratory droplets we exhale when we cough, sneeze or even talk. But cloth masks don’t offer much protection from inhaling droplets.

As the new mantra goes: My mask protects you; your mask protects me.

But don’t just take our word for it.

Read the findings in a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The study estimates that face coverings prevented 66,000 cases in New York City between April 6 and May 6.

We’ll say that again: 66,000 cases.

And here’s the kicker: “We conclude that wearing of face masks in public corresponds to the most effective means to prevent interhuman transmission, and this inexpensive practice, in conjunction with simultaneous social distancing, quarantine, and contact tracing, represents the most likely fighting opportunity to stop the COVID-19 pandemic.”

If we want to continue to reopen businesses, schools, churches and other facilities at the current rate, we have to take precautions more seriously.

Now, that includes wearing face masks.

This editorial has been updated to include information on Gov. Newsom’s order.

This story was originally published June 18, 2020 at 5:00 AM.