Face masks to be required inside all San Mateo County facilities starting today
SAN MATEO, Calif. (KGO) -- Even though 89% of San Mateo County's population is fully vaccinated, starting Monday they are taking a step back.
"In County buildings we are requiring vaccinated and the unvaccinated to wear masks," said San Mateo County Supervisor David Canepa.
The latest COVID data is what's driving this mask requirement inside their county facilities.
RELATED: Bay Area's 4th COVID surge on track to 'worsen' in next 3 weeks, UCSF doctor says
"One step forward and a half step backward. I guess you could view it that way but in my mind it's better to be safe than sorry. I think it's probably the right move," said San Mateo resident Todd Master.
A month ago their test positivity rate was 0.4%. Now, it's 2.6%.
"We've seen an uptick in our cases in the last two weeks. They nearly doubled," said Canepa.
They're attributing that increase to the Delta variant. Now accounting for 83% of COVID cases statewide.
RELATED: Delta variant described as 'new beast' as UCSF doctors gear up for potential peak this October
Birgul Polat is a San Mateo county resident and a nurse at San Francisco general hospital seeing firsthand the impact of the Delta variant. She agrees with this mask requirement.
"I don't think people know how serious it is," said Polat.
Recently, San Mateo along with six Bay Area counties urged residents to wear facemasks indoors.
RELATED: Bay Area counties recommend indoor mask wearing, even if vaccinated
In LA county, masks are required indoors also regardless of vaccination status.
"I think maybe we dropped the mask mandate a little too quickly," said Burlingame resident, Scott Matt.
Inside Chic beauty salon in downtown Burlingame, the mask mandate was never lifted.
"I'm not ready yet and all my clients come here and they still wear their mask," said Linda Danc, Nail technician at Chic Salon.
Supervisor Canepa says they are following the data closely before making any additional changes.
"It's the first step and it's a small step. We will see what we can do moving forward if we have to take additional action," said Canepa.
VACCINE TRACKER: How California is doing, when you can get a coronavirus vaccine
Having trouble loading the tracker above? Click here to open it in a new window.
RELATED STORIES & VIDEOS:
- Everything to know about California's reopening
- Where you still have to wear a mask in CA
- Poll: What do you think about California's June 15 reopening?
- Cheat sheet: What you can and can't do after being fully vaccinated
- Can a workplace require the coronavirus vaccine? Here's what we found
- COVID-19 vaccine: Everything to know about your 2nd Pfizer or Moderna shot
- CA COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker: See your status here
- These CA counties are way ahead in vaccinations
- How to register for a COVID-19 vaccine in every Bay Area county
- Map shows everywhere you can get a COVID-19 test in the Bay Area
- Data tracker: Coronavirus cases, deaths, hospitalizations in every Bay Area county
- Get the latest updates on California EDD, stimulus checks, unemployment benefits
- Coronavirus origin: Where did COVID-19 come from?
- What is a COVID-19 genetic, antigen and antibody test?
- What does COVID-19 do to your body and why does it spread so easily?
- Coronavirus Timeline: Tracking major moments of COVID-19 pandemic in San Francisco Bay Area
