Contra Costa County Health Officer Issued New "Cover Your Face" Order

From City of Orinda:

April 17, 2020

Contra Costa County Health Officer issued a new “Cover Your Face” order on, Friday, April 17. This order requires anyone working at or visiting an essential business to wear face coverings to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. In addition it requires that when individuals are outside, everyone must carry masks or face coverings and use them whenever they come near six feet of others outside their own households.

The order also states that members of the public must mask when they:

• work at an essential business
• are inside an essential business, such as a grocery store
• visit a healthcare provider or facility
• wait in line for or ride public transportation

With this additional order in place the Contra Costa County Health Officer has indicated they are encouraging people to pursue home-made face covering options as recommended by CDC. This would ensure medical grade face masks are available for front line workers who need personal protective equipment. For more information from the CDC about cloth face coverings, sewn / non-sewn instructions, and shareable PDF versions in English and Spanish, please click the following link: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html?deliveryName=USCDC_2067-DM25135

The new order does not replace the county’s stay-at-home health order or the need to maintain physical distancing, wash hands frequently and cover coughs and sneezes – all fundamental to reducing the spread of COVID-19.

To read the entire Press Release visit https://cchealth.org/press-releases/2020/0417-Cover-Your-Face-Order.php.

To read the complete Order of the Health Officer of the County of Contra Costa visit https://813dcad3-2b07-4f3f-a25e-23c48c566922.filesusr.com/ugd/84606e_7aedf6a44a884872ad17824ef2855107.pdf.

This press release was produced by City of Orinda. The views expressed here are the author’s own.