Mask Mandate Issued in California County Where 9 in 10 Residents Are Vaccinated

People wear masks as they walk in a shopping district in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles on July 1, 2021. Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Photo

A mask mandate was re-implemented in California’s San Mateo County, where nearly 90 percent of residents are fully vaccinated, according to officials this week.

Starting Monday, all residents—including those who are vaccinated—will have to wear face masks in government offices, health clinics, and other public facilities. Masks are not mandated—but recommended—inside other public areas such as restaurants, gyms, theaters, and grocery stores, according to a press release from the county.

About 89 percent of residents aged 12 and older in San Mateo, located south of San Francisco, are vaccinated against COVID-19, county data shows. COVID-19 is the illness caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

But despite the high vaccination rate, the county officials said masking is needed due to the “highly transmissible Delta variant” that has become more prevalent around the United States. As a result, it explained, “health officers around the Bay Area have recommended that everyone wear masks indoors, regardless of their vaccination status.”

“The County of San Mateo, out of an abundance of caution and to protect public health, is requiring face coverings as of Monday for the public when indoors at County offices, clinics, and other publicly accessible facilities,” the news release stated. “The masking requirement is similar to guidelines in place before the state’s June 15, 2021, reopening.”

A day before the mandate, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases chief Anthony Fauci warned during a televised interview that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are investigating whether to change masking guidelines at the federal level amid a rise in COVID-19 cases.

“This is under active consideration,” Fauci told CNN in response to a question about whether masks should be used again despite individuals’ COVID-19 vaccination status. He added, “If we don’t vaccinate people, the model is going to predict that we’re going to be in trouble as we continue to get more and more cases.”

Other areas that have reimposed mask-wearing include St. Louis and Los Angeles so far, although other officials around the United States have said mask-wearing shouldn’t be necessary for those who are vaccinated.

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed a lawsuit against St. Louis over the mask mandate late on Monday, arguing that it’s “continued government overreach.”

“There is absolutely no scientific reason to continue to force children to wear a mask in school,” he said. “Back in May, I filed suit against St. Louis County for continuing to impose such unlawful restrictions, and just three days later, those restrictions were lifted. I will continue to fight this seemingly unending control and intrusion on peoples’ lives—we will not back down.”

St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones, who was named in his lawsuit, said over the weekend that Schmitt’s lawsuit is a political ploy designed to support his campaign for the U.S. Senate seat.