Requiring All People to Wear Masks in Indoor Public Settings
Date of Order: 8/2/2021
In order to slow the spread of the more contagious Delta variant of COVID-19, all people, regardless of vaccination status, are required to wear face coverings in public indoor settings in in Contra Costa County until further notice, beginning August 3, 2021 at 12:01 a.m. Public settings include but are not limited to business offices, retail stores, restaurants, theaters, family entertainment centers, meeting rooms and State and local government facilities where services are provided to the public.
This order does not apply to people in the following circumstances:
- When alone in a room.
- When actively eating or drinking.
- When swimming or showering.
- When receiving care or other service that requires removal of the face covering, including by way of example and without limitation, medical care requiring exposure of the nose or mouth, cosmetic services involving the face, and dental procedures.
- When exempt from wearing face coverings under the State Face Covering Guidance or other applicable California Department of Public Health (CDPH) guidance. The State Face Covering Guidance exempts the following individuals from wearing masks:
- Persons younger than two years old. Very young children must not wear a mask because of the risk of suffocation.
- Persons with a medical condition, mental health condition, or disability that prevents wearing a mask, including persons with a medical condition for whom wearing a mask could obstruct breathing or who are unconscious, incapacitated, or otherwise unable to remove a mask without assistance.
- Persons who are hearing impaired, or communicating with a person who is hearing impaired, where the ability to see the mouth is essential for communication.
- Persons for whom wearing a mask would create a risk to the person related to their work, as determined.