Marin Lifts Mask Mandate

MARIN COUNTY, CA — Marin will lift its mask mandate early next week, county officials said Friday.

The new health order goes into effect at noon on Monday.

Marin County Public Health on Aug. 2 implemented the requirement that people mask-up in indoor settings as part of a Bay Area-wide public health response to delta-fueled case surge.

Marin announced it met the three criteria that eight Bay Area counties and the city of Berkeley established for lifting county-level mask mandates on Oct. 7.

Marin’s overall vaccination rate is above 80 percent, hospitalizations locally have declined and remained low, and it has remained in the yellow tier signifying moderate transmission for 21 consecutive days according to data on the CDC’s Community Transmission Tracker.

Marin Health Officer Dr. Matt Willis nevertheless said he will continue to strongly urge residents to keep wearing masks indoors.

“Face covering has been and will remain a critical tool for preventing spread of the virus,” Willis said in a statement.

“The mandate helped get us through the fourth wave, but as the local picture improves, we’re shifting from a legal mandate to local recommendation. This is part of the process of tiptoeing back toward normalcy.”

Marin’s change does not impact face covering requirements issued by the state for unvaccinated people and for people in school settings, businesses, or organizations that require face coverings, county officials said.

Some businesses may choose to continue requiring face coverings indoors for everyone, including those who are vaccinated, county officials said, noting that the Marin County Board of Supervisors will require face coverings for all in-person participants, regardless of vaccination status, beginning at its first hybrid board meeting on Tuesday.

Residents are asked to continue respecting those requirements by carrying and being prepared to wear face covering while in public, county officials said.

Since vaccinations first became widely available in January 2021, Marin has become one of the nation’s most vaccinated counties.

As of October 28, 93.4 percent of the Marin population over age 12 – more than 222,000 people – had completed a COVID-19 vaccination series.

Approximately 47,000 individuals in Marin have not completed a vaccine series or remain unvaccinated including young children who are not yet eligible.

“High vaccination rates, and understanding the value of face covering, has made to possible to begin to lift restrictions,” Willis said.

“I’m confident our community knows what to do to limit COVID-19 risk. To be more secure coming onto the winter months, we need to continue to use face coverings in places of higher risk and gain even higher vaccination rates. Remember, masks work both ways: they protect you and the people around you, including those who are too young and not eligible yet to be vaccinated.”

Safe, free, and effective COVID-19 vaccines are available to everyone age 12 and up.

Marin County Public Health anticipates vaccinating children 5-11 years old as early as next week, as federal authorization continues to move forward.

To book an appointment or find a nearby Marin clinic visit here.