Long Beach to keep indoor mask mandate, as CA drops statewide mask orders

The City's health department says Long Beach residents would still be required to wear a face mask while indoors, even though state officials declared California would be easing its mask mandate starting next week.

Man in the cloth mask:

The daily case rate in Long Beach "remains high," officials say. Additionally, the City's positivity rate stands at 14.9%.

• The seven-day positivity rate falls under the CDC's "high transmission" standards, 296 per 100,000 residents or a positive rate of 10% or more.

Long Beach's Department of Health and Human Services:

The health department posted two criteria for the indoor mask mandate to be discarded: The COVID-19 transmission must fall into the CDC's moderate category – a seven-day cumulative rate of 10 to 50 cases per 100,000. And the City's positivity rate must be between 5% and 8% - for at least two weeks, or the vaccine for those 0-4 years old must be available for eight weeks.

• When one of those criteria has been met and there are no new reports of widely circulating new variants, Long Beach will align with the State.

• Fully vaccinated residents won't be required to wear a mask indoors, but unvaccinated people would still need to.

Fully vaccinated individuals will not be required to wear a facial covering indoors except in the following settings:

• On public transit, including airplanes, ships, ferries, trains, buses, taxis, and ride-shares) and in transportation hubs (examples: airports, bus terminals, marinas, train stations, seaports or other ports, or any other area that provides transportation)

• Indoors in K-12 schools and childcare facilities

• At emergency shelters and cooling and heating centers

• In healthcare settings

• At correctional facilities and detention centers

• In homeless shelters

• At long term care settings and adult and senior care facilities

• Indoor mega-events and outdoor mega-events.