Marin Health Officer Urges All To Mask Up Indoors

MARIN COUNTY, CA — Residents of America's most vaccinated county are being urged to mask up indoors again, fully vaccinated or not.

Marin’s top health official last week joined health officers from seven Bay Area counties and the city of Berkeley in urging residents to wear masks indoors again amid a case surge fueled by the highly contagious delta variant.

In June, the delta variants comprised 43 percent of all specimens sequenced in California.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) noted that Delta variants are now responsible for 58 percent of new infections across the country.

“Out of an abundance of caution, people are recommended to wear masks indoors in settings like grocery or retail stores, theaters, and family entertainment centers, even if they are fully vaccinated as an added layer of protection for unvaccinated residents,” Marin County wrote in a statement on its website.

“Businesses are urged to adopt universal masking requirements for customers entering indoor areas of their businesses to provide better protection to their employees and customers. Workplaces must comply with Cal/OSHA requirements and fully vaccinated employees are encouraged to wear masks indoors if their employer has not confirmed the vaccination status of those around them.

Fully vaccinated people are well-protected from infections and serious illness due to known COVID-19 variants including delta variants, and vaccinating as many people as possible, as soon as possible, continues to be the best defense against severe COVID-19 infection, and the harm it can do to the region.

Public health experts are virtually monolithic in their view that vaccines are safe and effective. They are free and widely available to everyone 12 and older.

“The greater Bay Area is one large community, and we’re all experiencing the same concerning trends,” Marin County Public Health Officer Dr. Matt Willis said in a statement.

“Though Marin has a higher vaccination rate than most, this move makes sense for Marin because we’re seeing surges in cases and we know that we can respond together to flatten the curve.”

People are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second dose in a two-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

People with only one vaccine dose of Pfizer or Moderna not fully protected. Completion of the vaccine series is necessary to provide full protection.

Visit Marin Public Health’s Vaccine Finder tool to find a pop-up vaccination clinic near you, or consider getting a vaccine at a local pharmacy such as CVS, Walgreens, or RiteAid.

Vaccine appointments can also be made by calling (833) 422-4255. Residents who missed their second dose are urged to find a vaccination clinic near them as soon as possible.