Santa Cruz County Face Covering Mandate Kicks In Soon

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CA — A face covering mandate will go into effect next week in Santa Cruz County as officials worry about a potential winter surge of COVID-19.

The order kicks in at 11:59 p.m. Sunday and will apply to everyone, regardless of vaccination status, the Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency announced in a Friday morning statement. The order does not have an expiration date and can be rescinded only by county Health Officer Gail Newel.

“As we look forward to spending time with those we love during the holidays, it is important to protect vulnerable friends and family members by wearing a mask indoors," Newel said in the statement.

Masks must be worn indoors at all times when people are around others who are not in their household, even in private settings such as a home, the county said. People need not wear masks if working in a closed room or office alone or with other members of their household.

Businesses and governments must require employees to wear masks and post signs about the mask mandate at entry points.

Masks are not required while eating, drinking, swimming, showering at a fitness center or while receiving medical or cosmetic services, according to health officials.

The new mask mandate came as COVID-19 cases climbed in more than half of states as the holidays loomed, NPR reported. Last year's holiday season festivities caused a spike in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths.

"I hate to say it, but I suspect we're at the start of a new winter surge," Dr. George Rutherford, a University of California, San Francisco epidemiologist, told NPR.

Newel encouraged people who have not been vaccinated to get a first dose as soon as possible. People who were vaccinated more than six months ago should seek out a booster shot, she said.

Sign up for a vaccine appointment in Santa Cruz County.

Anyone at least 5 years old is eligible for an initial dose, and all adults are eligible for a booster shot in California.

In Santa Cruz County, nearly 68 percent of residents have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Free COVID-19 testing still remains available to Santa Cruz County residents.

Santa Cruz County has seen nearly 21,000 COVID-19 cases since the beginning of the pandemic, including 455 active known cases as of Friday. About 220 people here have died as a result of COVID-19.