Marin County health officials announced Friday that they will ease the county’s indoor mask mandate in some settings next week, provided that everyone present can verify their full vaccination.
Starting Oct. 15, fully vaccinated people will no longer be required to wear a face covering in indoor settings with fewer than 100 people like gyms and offices, provided everyone in attendance is fully vaccinated and that access to the activity is controlled and not open to the general public.
The revision to the county’s indoor mask order — which still applies to all residents, regardless of vaccination status, in more crowded settings like grocery stores — will also include occupational vehicles, religious settings and college classes.
“We’re not ready to lift the mandate across the board, but we’re in a good place to ease restrictions for the safest settings.” County Public Health Officer Dr. Matt Willis said in a statement. “Science shows that when an entire group is vaccinated, the risk of infection is much lower.”
Marin County’s announcement comes one day after a similar mask mandate modification in San Francisco, which will also take effect Oct. 15.
Health officials in Marin County, San Francisco and seven other Bay Area jurisdictions also announced Thursday that they would lift the region’s broader indoor mask mandates as each jurisdiction meets certain criteria, including 80 percent of a county’s total population being fully vaccinated and reaching the moderate or yellow tier of COVID-19 transmission as defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.
While no county in the Bay Area has reached the 80 percent threshold, Marin County has come closest, with 77.2 percent of its total population fully vaccinated, according to CDC data.
Among eligible residents, those ages 12 and older, 92 percent are fully vaccinated, according to the county.