Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

US Electric Vehicle Tax Breaks Will Expire on Sept. 30

16 hours ago

‘Reservoir Dogs’ and ‘Kill Bill’ Actor Michael Madsen Dies at 67

17 hours ago

Eyeing Arctic Dominance, Trump Bill Earmarks $8.6 Billion for US Coast Guard Icebreakers

17 hours ago

Trump’s Sweeping Tax-Cut and Spending Bill Wins Congressional Approval

18 hours ago

Americans Celebrate Their Independence With Record-Breaking Travel Numbers

21 hours ago

US Supreme Court to Decide Legality of Transgender School Sports Bans

22 hours ago

Nvidia Set to Become the World’s Most Valuable Company in History

22 hours ago

Poll: 41% in US ‘Extremely Proud’ to Be American, Near Historic Low

22 hours ago
California Weighing Issues Around New CDC Masking Guidelines
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 4 years ago on
May 14, 2021

Share

LOS ANGELES — Gov. Gavin Newsom said Friday that his office is weighing issues of enforcement and workplace safety in considering whether and when to adopt the latest federal guidelines around masking.

Newsom said his office has been talking with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, local health officers and other states since the CDC’s announcement Thursday calling for fully vaccinated people to skip face coverings and social distancing in most situations.

The agency’s guidelines still call for people to wear masks in crowded indoor settings, such as buses, planes, hospitals and prisons, and says residents should follow local rules.

But the governor says he doesn’t know what the federal guidelines would look like in schools, where younger children are not yet able to get vaccinated, and what happens if businesses want to require masks.

CDC Announcement Raises More Questions

“There’s a whole host of complexities that we all have to work through,” Newsom said when asked of the guidelines at a budget briefing. He said some governors are quick to “default to the CDC guidelines, but now are starting to appreciate some of the nuances and complexities around enforcement or lack thereof.”

The state is on track to fully reopen its economy next month, signaling an end to most pandemic restrictions, with infection rates at record lows and more people inoculated against the coronavirus. On Thursday, the state began allowing children 12 to 15 to receive the vaccine.

The CDC’s announcement raised more questions for some health officials, including Dr. Barbara Ferrer, public health director for Los Angeles County, home to about one-quarter of the state’s nearly 40 million people.

“I think that the question that’s top of mind for many people is: What does this mean when people are going around their day-to-day business?” she said. “The big issue that we’re facing is making sure we’re still able to protect our workers.”

Distinguishing Who’s Vaccinated and Who’s Not

At least 60% of residents 16 and older are partially vaccinated in California. But the percentages of people vaccinated vary widely by county and across the country. There’s also no way to know who is vaccinated or who is just saying they are.

“I think this is early,” Marin County public health officer Dr. Matt Willis said on San Francisco’s KGO-TV. “Frankly, the idea of people not covering their faces indoors when they’re gathered together, it’s concerning that there would be ongoing transmission.”

In California, people who are fully vaccinated do not need to wear a mask outdoors unless at crowded events. But they still have to wear a mask indoors unless meeting with other vaccinated people. The state has a number of other rules for businesses and other public places that vary by county based on the prevalence of the virus.

Gov. Gavin Newsom said earlier this week that in June residents will not be wearing face coverings except for at large-scale indoor convention events. But the next day, he said the state is likely to have “guidelines and mandates” for wearing masks indoors after the state fully reopens.

Mixed Feelings About Lessened Mask Restrictions

Disability rights activist Sascha Bittner, 47, has cerebral palsy, uses a wheelchair and survived lymphoma. She plans to keep wearing a mask and stay away from people she doesn’t know unless she is certain she’s in a place where everyone else is vaccinated.

She wishes the Biden administration had waited until more people had been vaccinated nationally.

“I will mask up and keep socially distanced for as long as I see fit. I also won’t be around people lax in their protocols yet,” the San Francisco resident said by email. “I’m just not there yet, and I REALLY hope people will see we aren’t quite there yet.”

Berkeley resident Justin Grant said he wishes the federal government had loosened outdoor masking rules earlier, given that all the scientific research he’s seen shows “that outdoor masking is completely unnecessary.”

He waited Thursday at a Walgreens pharmacy with his 13-year-old daughter, who had just received her vaccination. She wanted the shot so she can hang out with her friends, he said, and he had no hesitation letting her get the vaccine, given that he trusts the science. She can visit with friends two weeks after her second shot, when she’s fully vaccinated, he said.

Counties say nothing has changed as they wait for the state to give direction.

“As more people are vaccinated and case counts decrease it is natural for some of the regulations to loosen, but that is not greenlight to be reckless. Situational awareness is important,” said San Diego County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher.

RELATED TOPICS:

# CDC

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

July 4th Quiz: Test Your Knowledge of the Founding Fathers

DON'T MISS

Fresno Crash Involving Unlicensed Teen Driver Sends Woman to Hospital

DON'T MISS

Madre Fire Burns More Than 52,000 Acres in San Luis Obispo County

DON'T MISS

RIP John Harris: Fresno County Rancher, Racehorse Breeder Was a Visionary Leader Who Leaves a ‘Profound Legacy’

DON'T MISS

Valadao, Costa Spar on What Passage of Trump’s Bill Means for Medicaid Recipients

DON'T MISS

US Military Says 200 Marines Being Sent to Support ICE in Florida

DON'T MISS

Boeing Secures $2.8 Billion US Satellite Contract

DON'T MISS

Kaweah Health Names Its New Chief Nurse. She’s From Texas

DON'T MISS

Clovis Police Say At-Risk Missing Woman Found Dead in Mariposa County

DON'T MISS

Over 100 Former Senior Officials Warn Against Planned Staff Cuts at US State Department

UP NEXT

Madre Fire Burns More Than 52,000 Acres in San Luis Obispo County

UP NEXT

Americans Celebrate Their Independence With Record-Breaking Travel Numbers

UP NEXT

San Luis Obispo’s Madre Fire Grows to 35,000 Acres, More Evacuations Ordered

UP NEXT

Poll: 41% in US ‘Extremely Proud’ to Be American, Near Historic Low

UP NEXT

Poorest Americans Dealt Biggest Blow Under Senate Republican Tax Package

UP NEXT

CHP Officer Dies in Line of Duty After Medical Emergency While on Patrol

UP NEXT

Downtown Housing Could Rise in Many California Cities, but Barriers Remain

UP NEXT

Poll: Most Americans Say National Divide, Political Violence Threaten Democracy

UP NEXT

Trump Pulls Back 150 Guard Troops From Federal Duties in California

UP NEXT

California Republicans Send Message to Trump: Deport Criminals, Not Our Vital Workers

RIP John Harris: Fresno County Rancher, Racehorse Breeder Was a Visionary Leader Who Leaves a ‘Profound Legacy’

14 hours ago

Valadao, Costa Spar on What Passage of Trump’s Bill Means for Medicaid Recipients

14 hours ago

US Military Says 200 Marines Being Sent to Support ICE in Florida

15 hours ago

Boeing Secures $2.8 Billion US Satellite Contract

15 hours ago

Kaweah Health Names Its New Chief Nurse. She’s From Texas

15 hours ago

Clovis Police Say At-Risk Missing Woman Found Dead in Mariposa County

15 hours ago

Over 100 Former Senior Officials Warn Against Planned Staff Cuts at US State Department

16 hours ago

US Electric Vehicle Tax Breaks Will Expire on Sept. 30

16 hours ago

‘Reservoir Dogs’ and ‘Kill Bill’ Actor Michael Madsen Dies at 67

17 hours ago

Fresno Police Recover Some of the $40,000 in Fireworks Stolen From Bullard High Team

17 hours ago

July 4th Quiz: Test Your Knowledge of the Founding Fathers

In the muggy summer of 1776, 56 men met in Philadelphia and pledged their “lives, fortunes, and sacred honor” to America’s future with the D...

31 minutes ago

31 minutes ago

July 4th Quiz: Test Your Knowledge of the Founding Fathers

A crash causes a traffic jam in northwest Fresno on Thursday, July 3, 2025. (GV Wire/Paul Marshall)
13 hours ago

Fresno Crash Involving Unlicensed Teen Driver Sends Woman to Hospital

The Madre Fire near New Cuyama has burned 52,593 acres with 5% containment, prompting evacuation orders in several San Luis Obispo County zones as of Thursday, July 3, 2025, afternoon. (CalFire)
13 hours ago

Madre Fire Burns More Than 52,000 Acres in San Luis Obispo County

14 hours ago

RIP John Harris: Fresno County Rancher, Racehorse Breeder Was a Visionary Leader Who Leaves a ‘Profound Legacy’

14 hours ago

Valadao, Costa Spar on What Passage of Trump’s Bill Means for Medicaid Recipients

An ICE agent talks with migrants about their scheduled appointments with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Father’s Day, to learn about their immigration status, in Chicago, Illinois., U.S., June 15, 2025. (Reuters File)
15 hours ago

US Military Says 200 Marines Being Sent to Support ICE in Florida

Boeing logo and miniature satellite model are seen in this illustration taken, March 10, 2025. (Reuters File)
15 hours ago

Boeing Secures $2.8 Billion US Satellite Contract

15 hours ago

Kaweah Health Names Its New Chief Nurse. She’s From Texas

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend