(GoRealNewsNow.com) – Even as COVID-19 levels have declined nationwide and globally, the San Francisco Bay Area has mandated healthcare workers wear masks again to combat respiratory viruses.
Several deep-blue California counties, including Alameda, Contra Costa, Napa, and Santa Clara, will reinstate mask requirements in healthcare settings.
This decision aims to curb COVID-19, influenza, and other respiratory viruses during their seasonal peaks.
While officials view this as a proactive move, critics see it as a repeat of unnecessary past restrictions.
Moreover, mask mandates will specifically target healthcare settings such as hospitals, psychiatric hospitals, nursing facilities, dialysis centers, and infusion centers.
Santa Clara has taken it a step further, requiring masks for both visitors and patients. This order is set from November 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025, with some allowances for extensions.
In turn, politicians like Congressman Kevin Kiley (R-CA) criticized the measures, warning about the tendency to slip back into extensive mandates.
“Mask mandates are making a comeback in California,” Kiley said. “My opponent, a Newsom staffer, supports toddler masking… We must elect the right people to assure history doesn’t repeat itself.”
Nevertheless, accommodations exist. Alameda County focuses on inpatient care, exempting outpatient facilities.
Contra Costa mandates masks for healthcare personnel in patient presence while Santa Clara applies requirements universally within patient care areas, with exceptions for young children and individuals with medical conditions.
Similarly, San Mateo County mandates apply only to workers and visitors in skilled nursing facilities, sparing residents.
Meanwhile, Marin, Sonoma, San Francisco, and Solano counties opt out of this mandate exercise.
Even though some argue these mandates preserve public safety, others question their necessity and effectiveness.
With the holiday season and cold months ahead, this will likely remain a contentious topic in California’s political sphere.
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