New Califonia face covering order: What is required?

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KION)

On Monday, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that he is "pulling the emergency brake" due to rising COVID-19 cases, slowing down the state's economic reopening. This included placing 41 counties, 94.1 percent of the population, in the most restrictive "purple" of "widespread" tier.

Aside from the new economic restrictions that come with moving down to lower tiers (Monterey stayed in purple, Santa Cruz and San Benito dropped from red to purple), Newsom and the California Department of Public Health changed the face coverage guidelines. "A face covering is required at all times when outside of the home, with some exceptions," the state writes.

During Monday's announcement, California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said "we've talked about this for many, many months, (wear) your mask whenever you are in public." He adds, "we know when people gather with people they don't live with, often our close friends, even family members, we think that it's OK to put your guard down. We think it's OK to take off your mask even for a little bit, to enjoy a drink or enjoy a meal. But it's exactly those moments that might create a high transmission risk."

Below is the new face coverage guidance posted on the CDPH website:

People in California must wear face coverings when they are outside of the home, unless one of the exemptions below applies.

Individuals are exempt from wearing face coverings in the following specific settings:

• Persons in a car alone or solely with members of their own household.
• Persons who are working in an office or in a room alone.
• Persons who are actively eating or drinking provided that they are able to maintain a distance of at least six feet away from persons who are not members of the same household or residence.
• Persons who are outdoors and maintaining at least 6 feet of social distancing from others not in their household.  Such persons must have a face covering with them at all times and must put it on if they are within 6 feet of others who are not in their household.
• Persons who are obtaining a service involving the nose or face for which temporary removal of the face covering is necessary to perform the service.
• Workers who are required to wear respiratory protection.
• Persons who are specifically exempted from wearing face coverings by other CDPH guidance.

The following individuals are exempt from wearing face coverings at all times:

• Persons younger than two years old. These very young children must not wear a face covering because of the risk of suffocation.
• Persons with a medical condition, mental health condition, or disability that prevents wearing a face covering. This includes persons with a medical condition for whom wearing a face covering could obstruct breathing or who are unconscious, incapacitated, or otherwise unable to remove a face covering without assistance. Such conditions are rare.
• Persons who are hearing impaired, or communicating with a person who is hearing impaired, where the ability to see the mouth is essential for communication.
• Persons for whom wearing a face covering would create a risk to the person related to their work, as determined by local, state, or federal regulators or workplace safety guidelines.

Note: Persons exempted from wearing a face covering due to a medical condition who are employed in a job involving regular contact with others must wear a non-restrictive alternative, such as a face shield with a drape on the bottom edge, as long as their condition permits it.