California officials announced that face masks will no longer be required indoors starting Tuesday, as the state shifts to an “endemic” approach to the coronavirus.
Masks will be “strongly recommended” for unvaccinated people in most indoor settings like shops, gyms, bars and movie theaters, but they will no longer be mandated by the state after 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, officials said.
And next week, after March 11, masks will also not be required at California’s schools and child care centers — though officials continue to strongly recommend masking in classrooms.
Masks will still be mandated for everyone in high transmission areas, including on public transit, emergency shelters, health care settings, correctional facilities, homeless shelters and long-term care facilities.
While the state is loosening its masking requirements, local jurisdictions can still continue to require masks indoors.
Currently, in Los Angeles County, businesses can only shed the indoor masking requirement for vaccinated people.
California is easing up on the face mask requirements as it moves to an “endemic” approach that emphasizes prevention and quick reaction to outbreaks over mask mandates and closures.
Newsom announced the shift two weeks ago, saying the state is moving past the crisis stage and into a phase where Californians will have to live with the virus.
California became the first state to formally offer such a detailed plan for a future when COVID-19 becomes manageable as the population’s immunity builds.
This new stage depends on the state identifying surges or variants faster, fighting misinformation, adding more health care workers and stockpiling tests.
The Newsom administration dubbed the plan SMARTER to highlight its key elements: Shots, Masks, Awareness, Readiness, Testing, Education and Rx.
Two other western states, Oregon and Washington, will also join California in updating their masking guidance Tuesday.