They're back! Healthcare mask mandates return to California’s Bay Area

Limited mask mandates are returning to several counties in California’s Bay Area through spring of 2025.

In Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara, San Mateo, and Napa counties, masks must be worn in skilled nursing facilities, hospitals, and many other healthcare settings.

The new mandate was put into effect to limit the spread of the flu and other viruses during the late fall to early spring flu season, with some counties opting to end the requirement in March and others in April of 2025. The orders only apply to healthcare workers except for Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, which are also requiring visitors to wear masks; in Santa Clara, patients must also wear masks.

These mask mandates come as the 10-campus University of California system banned masks to conceal identity, and Los Angeles Mayor Kare Bass reportedly considered a similar mask ban until she recently contracted COVID-19.

“Mask mandates are making a comeback in California,” said Congressman Kevin Kiley, R-Rocklin, on X. “America's leading masker of 2-year-olds, Xavier Becerra, is plotting a run for governor. We must elect the right people to assure history doesn't repeat itself.”

Given the limited nature of the mandate and its restriction to healthcare settings, it does not appear likely that a broader mandate will go into effect.

California had the third-longest COVID-19 mask mandate in the nation, ending only on March 1, with only Hawaii and Washington lifting their mandates after.