California Governor Gavin Newsom said Tuesday the state would stop requiring people to wear masks in almost all circumstances on June 15. “We’re not wearing face coverings. We’re not restricted in any way, shape or form from doing the old things that we used to do, save for huge, large-scale indoor events, where we use our common sense,” he said. California has required people to wear masks in public places since June 18, 2020. The current guidance requires people to wear a mask when gathering indoors with people who are not vaccinated. Fully vaccinated people can meet indoors without wearing a mask and not wear a mask outdoors, except when attending large gatherings. The California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board is considering changing its workplace mask rules later this month. The proposed rules would not require employees to wear masks indoors if all workers are fully vaccinated and no one has coronavirus symptoms. Last month, Newsom announced he would lift most of the state’s coronavirus restrictions on June 15 if the state’s coronavirus case numbers continued to improve. The rate of people testing positive for the coronavirus in California is just 1.1 percent, the lowest in the nation. More than 14.6 million people are fully vaccinated and another 5.1 million are partially vaccinated.
