Berkeley Loosens Mask Requirements

BERKELEY, CA — The city of Berkeley will loosen mask requirements in some indoor settings that verify full vaccination starting early next week, officials said.

Offices, gyms, places of worship and other hosts will have to ensure that no one entering has fever, cough, congestion, nausea, headache, runny nose, muscle aches or any other COVID-19 symptoms.

The revised health order goes into effect Monday.

Fully vaccinated people still cannot be unmasked at indoor special events such as weddings, concerts or conferences under the revised health order.

This decision to allow certain indoor spaces where entirely vaccinated people can choose to unmask reflects the decline in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations as well as the enduring power of vaccination to limit spread and, especially, severe illness, city officials said.

Nonetheless, lowering risk by wearing a mask is something hosts or individuals may continue to choose. Universal masking remains particularly important when including guests with weaker immune systems or that are more vulnerable to severe illness.

"Vaccinations and face coverings protected our communityand the region as a whole from the worst that the Delta variant inflicted elsewhere," Berkeley Health Officer Dr. Lisa B. Hernandez said in a statement.

"With that success, we now have some spaces where hosts can choose whether their guests must mask."

For additional information visit these links:

• City of Berkeley Health Order
• Vaccine Verification Guidance
• COVID-19 Symptoms (CDC)
• My Vaccine Record (State of California)
• MyTurn (State vaccine finder)
• Vaccine Clinics (City of Berkeley)