Face Coverings, Social Distancing: What To Know In RivCo

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — It's likely that four Riverside County public health orders will be rescinded by the county board of supervisors during its regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday. The orders under scrutiny extend through June 19 and mandate face coverings and physical distancing of six feet, school closures, limitations on short‑term rentals, and restrictions on golfers. Read more: Riverside County Poised To Lift 4 Public Health Orders

The issue of face coverings and social distancing can be confusing. Gov. Gavin Newsom's "stay-home" order, which will remain in place regardless of the supervisors' Tuesday vote, does not address face coverings nor social distancing. However, the governor, the state and county public health departments, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention all recommend face coverings and social distancing of at least six feet.

Furthermore, the county public health officer has amended his order and now gives a bit of leeway to people who exercise outdoors — no face coverings required for cyclists, runners, walkers or hikers.

Here's a look at what is still in place this weekend in Riverside County in terms of face coverings and social distancing as ordered by the county public health officer. The amended county public health order took effect at 12:01 a.m. Friday. It remains in effect until June 19, unless the supervisors vote to rescind elements of it, including the face covering and social distancing mandates.

The county order states, "All persons, including Essential Workers shall wear face coverings, such as scarves (dense fabric, without holes), bandanas, neck gaiter, or other fabric face coverings. All persons, including Essential Workers are discouraged from using Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), such as N95 masks, for non-medical reasons."

The order continues,

Face coverings must be worn in public settings, such as:

• Waiting in line to go inside a store.
• Shopping at a store.
• Picking up food at a restaurant.
• On public transportation (or waiting for it).
• In a taxi or rideshare vehicle.
• Seeking healthcare.
• Going into facilities allowed to stay open.
• Working an essential job that interacts with the public.
• Children 2 years and older should be encouraged to wear a mask around others closer than 6 feet. When they do, they must be supervised by an adult.

Face coverings are NOT required to be worn by people who are:

• At home.
• In the car alone or with members of their own household.
• Children under the age of 2 years old due to risk of suffocation.
• Outdoors, walking, hiking, bicycling or running. However, people must comply with social distancing during these activities, including maintaining at least 6 feet of distance from other people. People should also have a face covering readily accessible.
• Residents with a health condition whose medical doctor has advised against wearing a face covering and can provide documentation.

Businesses must:

• Require their employees, contractors, owners, and volunteers to wear a face covering at the workplace and when performing work off-site;
• Inform customers about the need to wear a face covering, including posting signs and advising those in line or in the store;
• Take reasonable steps to keep people who are not wearing a face covering from entering their business, and
• Refuse service to anyone not wearing a face covering.

As for social distancing, the current county order mandates, "All persons are required to engage in 'Social distancing' by maintaining a six-foot separation from all persons except for household members and medical providers with the appropriate personal protection equipment."

It's not clear if the supervisors will rescind all or just parts of the order.

As far as gatherings, the county order expired Thursday, but Riverside County remains under the governor's stay-at-home order, which states that all California residents must stay home unless they are engaged in an essential business or activity.

It should be noted that cities can impose stricter orders than those mandated by the county and/or state.

Information about Tuesday's Riverside County Board of Supervisors meeting can be found here.