Regulators withdraw controversial California work mask rules

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) California’s workplace regulators have withdrawn a controversial mask regulation. Their second such reversal in a week gives them time to consider a rule that more closely aligns with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s promise that the state will fully reopen from the pandemic on Tuesday.

But some business leaders on Wednesday kept up their pressure on Newsom to override the board. The California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board’s rule would have allowed workers to forego masks only if every employee in a room is fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.

That contrasts with the state’s broader plan to do away with virtually all masking requirements for vaccinated people.