Students and staff in K-12 schools and childcare settings in Contra Costa County will no longer be required by the State to wear masks indoors after March 11, although masking will continue to be strongly recommended. State health officials announced the upcoming shift in school masking policy on Monday as COVID case and hospitalization rates continue to rapidly decline.
School districts can still choose to require indoor masking even though the state is no longer mandating it. School staff and students can also choose to continue wearing masks if they feel safer doing so. People at schools and childcare facilities should wear masks if they were exposed to someone with COVID for up to 10 days.
While the pandemic is not over, health officials say that we are in a new phase and now have vaccines, tests, and treatments that work, and most people have some immunity from vaccines or past infection. Children also typically don’t experience severe disease from COVID.
The state’s announcement comes on the heels of the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) no longer recommending masking in schools unless COVID levels in the community are high. COVID community levels in Contra Costa are currently low under the CDC’s criteria.
State officials also announced they are lifting the requirement that unvaccinated people wear masks in indoor public spaces on March 1. Masking will still be required in high-risk settings, such as hospitals, nursing homes, and public transportation regardless of vaccination status.
