Contra Costa Updates Face Mask Health Order To Align With State's

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA — Contra Costa County has updated its health order about when and where members of the public must wear face coverings during the coronavirus pandemic to align with current state guidance.

Local data indicate the virus is rapidly spreading in the county, and the county is back on the California Department of Public Health’s monitoring list because of increasing numbers of COVID-19 patients in local hospitals.

Another 209 new cases were confirmed in the county over the last 24 hours, Contra Costa County public health officials said early Tuesday afternoon in a news release.

That brought the total number of coronavirus cases in Contra Costa County since March to 4,092, with 49 people hospitalized Tuesday for the virus and 86 total coronavirus-related deaths.

The updated county health order specifies that face coverings must be worn in businesses and in areas where people wait in line to enter businesses, and that everyone is required to wear a mask or face covering whenever they are within 6 feet of another person who is not a member of their household, except in very limited, industry-specific situations.

People who have certain health conditions are exempt from wearing masks that fit snugly over the mouth and nose but must instead wear plastic face shields with cloth draping beneath to contain coughs and sneezes.

The order also requires businesses open during the pandemic to ensure their workers and volunteers wear face coverings, and to not serve or allow entry to anyone not wearing face coverings.

"We recognize there is a lot of detailed health guidance coming from state and local sources, and that can be confusing," said Candace Andersen, chair of the Contra Costa Board of Supervisors. "With COVID-19 spreading more in our community, it is more important than ever to follow the state health guidance and wear a face covering whenever you go out."

According to Contra Costa County's face mask health order, which became effective at 12:01 a.m. Monday:

• A key transmission method for the virus that causes COVID-19 is respiratory droplets that people expel when they breathe or sneeze. People can be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 and not have any symptoms, meaning they are asymptomatic, but can still be contagious. People can also be infected and contagious 48 hours before developing symptoms, the time when they are pre-symptomatic. Many people who have been infected with the COVID-19 virus have mild symptoms and do not recognize they are infected and contagious, and they can unintentionally infect others. Therefore, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the Contra Costa County Health Services Department believe that wearing a face covering, when combined with physical distancing of at least 6 feet and frequent hand washing, may reduce the risk of transmitting the COVID-19 virus when engaged in activities in public when others are nearby.
• ... The Sheriff and all chiefs of police in the County ensure compliance with and enforce this Order. The violation of any provision of this Order constitutes an imminent threat and menace to public health, constitutes a public nuisance, and is punishable by fine, imprisonment, or both.
• The term “face covering” in the State Face Covering Guidance (“Face Covering”) means a covering made of cloth, fabric, or other soft or permeable material, without holes, that covers the nose and mouth, but does not hide or obscure the wearer’s eyes or forehead. The Face Covering should be comfortable, so that the wearer can breathe comfortably through the nose and does not have to adjust it frequently, so as to avoid touching the face. A video showing how to make a Face Covering and additional information about how to wear and clean Face Coverings may be found at the website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth-facecoverings.html. Any mask that incorporates a one-way valve (typically a raised plastic cylinder about the size of a quarter on the front or side of the mask) that is designed to facilitate easy exhaling is not a Face Covering and may not be used to comply with this Order. Even when not required by this Order, people are strongly encouraged to wear Face Coverings when in public.
• Individuals and businesses in the County must comply with the following local requirements, as applicable: a. Individuals shall wear Face Coverings when less than 6 feet away from any person who is not a member of the individual’s household or living unit. b. Individuals must wear Face Coverings when inside or on the grounds of, or waiting in line to enter, any business. c. Businesses must take all reasonable steps to prohibit an individual who is not wearing a Face Covering from entering. If those efforts are not successful, the business must not serve that individual, and must seek to remove the individual from the premises.