Well-fitted masks will continue to be required to be worn indoors by people who are not fully vaccinated following Tuesday’s expiration of the indoor mask mandate in San Diego County, the Health and Human Services Agency announced Wednesday.
The policy follows California Department of Public Health recommendations. A person is considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or one shot of the Johnson & Johnson immunization.
“People who are not fully vaccinated are more likely to become infected compared to people who have received all the recommended doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, including the booster,” said Dr. Wilma J. Wooten, county public health officer.
“The vaccines are the best protection there is to prevent people from getting seriously ill, ending in the hospital or worse, dying,” Wooten added.
Masks will still be required in schools and certain other settings regardless of vaccination status.
The county Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to ask the California Department of Public Health to phase out masking in schools in a “safe and responsible” manner.
City News Service contributed to this article.