'Greater risk': Covid-19 mask mandate returns to California county; aims to protect 'most vulnerable population'

A California wine country county is strengthening its vaccine recommendations and implementing a mask mandate, citing a “greater risk” of Covid-19 as the annual flu season begins.

Karen Smith , interim health officer for the Sonoma County Department of Public Health , issued an order on Monday mandating masks for anyone entering specified healthcare facilities in the county.

The mask mandate, effective from November 1 to March 31, 2026, allows Smith to expand the facilities covered as needed and will be implemented annually unless officially lifted.

"The rationale behind this order is to protect the most vulnerable populations (such as the elderly and cancer patients) and to try to prevent medical staff from getting sick and creating staffing problems for facilities," a spokesperson for the Sonoma County department of health was quoted as saying by Fox News .

The order includes several exemptions, covering anyone "with a diagnosed medical condition, mental health condition, or disability that prevents the individual from wearing a face mask."

It also exempts hearing-impaired individuals who need to see the mouth to communicate, as well as anyone else whom local, state, or federal regulators determine could be harmed by wearing a mask.

The order specifies the types of masks that are acceptable, including surgical masks, KN95, KF94, or N95 respirators. Informal coverings such as scarves, ski masks, balaclavas, bandanas, turtlenecks, collars, cloth masks, or any mask with an unfiltered one-way exhaust valve do not meet the requirements.

Alongside the mask mandate, Smith issued stronger guidance on Covid-19 and flu vaccinations, strongly recommending shots for everyone aged six months and older. She also advised that both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals wear masks in indoor public spaces when Covid-19 or influenza risk is high.

Smith’s vaccine and mask recommendations, particularly those aimed at protecting older populations, conflict with guidance from Robert F Kennedy Jr’s department of health and human services (HHS).

California enforced a strict mask mandate during the Covid-19 pandemic, requiring face coverings in most public settings statewide from June 2020 to June 2021, as cited by the Daily Mail .

Between December 2021 and February 2022, the state reinstated indoor mask mandates in response to a surge in Covid cases and hospitalizations, while several counties implemented even stricter masking policies.