{"id":52569,"date":"2022-09-20T16:37:37","date_gmt":"2022-09-20T23:37:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=52569"},"modified":"2022-09-20T16:37:37","modified_gmt":"2022-09-20T23:37:37","slug":"state-public-health-leaders-update-covid-19-guidance-for-use-of-face-masks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=52569","title":{"rendered":"State Public Health Leaders Update COVID-19 Guidance for Use of Face Masks"},"content":{"rendered":"

SACRAMENTO<\/strong> \u2013 The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) today released\u00a0updated guidance<\/a>\u00a0for the use of face masks, using the federal\u00a0community COVID-19 levels<\/a>\u00a0to inform statewide masking recommendations. The community levels set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) help individuals and communities decide which prevention actions to take for COVID-19 based on data that classifies communities as low, medium, or high risk.<\/p>\n

\n

The state\u2019s updated guidance also allows certain congregate settings, including correctional facilities, homeless and emergency shelters, and cooling centers to make masks optional when community COVID-19 levels are low.<\/p>\n

\n

These masking changes take effect this Friday, September 23 and do not affect health care and long-term care settings.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThis shift in masking is consistent with\u00a0California\u2019s SMARTER Plan<\/a>\u00a0and gives Californians the information they should consider when deciding when to wear a mask, including the rate of spread in the community and personal risk,\u201d said CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer Dr. Tom\u00e1s Arag\u00f3n.<\/p>\n

\n

Here are the new CDPH masking recommendations based on\u00a0community COVID-19 levels<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\n