Despite CDC’s new guidance, masks required indoors in Sonoma County

Despite federal health officials Thursday saying fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks in most settings or maintain social distancing, Sonoma County remains under a mask mandate as state officials consider the new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

County Health Officer Dr. Sundari Mase said Friday the state still requires everyone, including those who have been inoculated against the coronavirus, to wear a mask anywhere indoors outside the home.

Fully vaccinated residents do not have to wear face coverings outdoors, Mase said, unless they are attending a crowded event, such as parades, sporting events, live performances and festivals.

California public health officials said they are reviewing the CDC’s new position on mask wearing, taking into account workplace safety and enforcement issues. Mase said local rules on face coverings likely will align with what state health officials eventually decide.

The CDC’s message in telling fully inoculated people they are safe to go without masks is clear: Get the shots, she said.

“There’s a lot of advantages to getting vaccinated,” Mase said. “As you can see, if you want to get back to normal, get vaccinated.”

As the local and state rules for face coverings are at least temporarily in conflict with the federal guidance, county residents and restaurateurs interviewed Friday are exercising caution for the most part and aren’t quite ready to ditch their masks.

Diana Gonzalez of Petaluma, who’s been fully vaccinated since January, said she’ll wait until everyone can stop wearing a mask.

“I kind of want to go with the flow. I’m going to wait until we’re fully open. Right now, people are going to be on edge about it,” said Gonzalez, 44, a dental assistant, shortly after walking out of Copperfield’s Books in downtown Petaluma with her daughter Camila, 17.

Cathy Wells, 73, of Petaluma, who’s been fully vaccinated for more than a month, said she’s also in no hurry to forgo a mask. On Friday, Wells and friend Terry Groh, 73, were walking downtown with their dogs Gracie and Fiona.

“I firmly believe that if you’re going to be in downtown Petaluma, you should be wearing a mask,” Wells said, noting she’ll still keep her face covering on inside stores and doctor’s offices even when it isn’t required.

“I feel safe because I’ve been vaccinated,” Wells said. “But I’m still going to wear a mask out of respect for others. ... They’ve been wearing them in China for how many years?”

Dr. George Rutherford, an infectious disease epidemiologist at UC San Francisco, said the science behind the CDC’s recommendation was sound.

Rutherford said it’s become more evident that the COVID-19 vaccines are extremely protective, even against the more contagious coronavirus variants. What’s more, he said, so-called breakthrough cases, in which fully vaccinated individuals contract the virus, “are few and far between.”

But he said it may be difficult to differentiate between the vaccinated who do not wear masks and people who haven’t had shots and just won’t wear masks.

“In certain venues, maybe movie theaters, you might have to show a vaccination certificate in order to get in,” Rutherford said. “But I don't know that there's gonna be a lot of stomach for that.”

Even for the fully inoculated, the CDC still recommended wearing masks in crowded indoor settings, such as buses, planes, jails, prisons and hospitals. Residents should also follow state and local rules, the CDC said.

Meanwhile, Sarah Piccolo, owner and chef of Fork Roadhouse and Catering in Sebastopol, said her staff will continue to err on the side of caution.

“It’s so confusing on what to do and none of us really know, but staff and customers will wear masks inside, until we are told otherwise,” Piccolo said, adding the restaurant will continue requiring customers to wear face coverings unless they are sitting down and eating.

“What’s great though is that there’s a lot less fear and in general people are really respecting each other,” she said. “At this point we’re all used to it, but I’m looking forward to not having to work with a mask anymore someday because it’s really hot.”

Kyle Connaughton, owner and head farmer at Single Thread Restaurant and Farm, said his business will stick with state and local rules, including social and table distancing and sanitizing.

“Even if masks are not required, we will let the staff decide for themselves if they want to continue to stay masked or not,” Connaughton said. “That will be a personal choice for them that we will support.”

Drew Washer, the owner of Heebe Jeebe general store in Petaluma, said the CDC’s latest guidelines are “common sense” given the amount of protection against the highly contagious virus people get from vaccines.

For now, the store will continue with all the pandemic precautions, plus keeping the front doors open and ceiling fans operating for better circulation.

However, “I definitely won’t be ordering as many masks as before,” Washer said.

Press Democrat Staff Writer Heather Irwin contributed to this story.

Editor’s note: The local and state rules on face coverings are at least temporarily in conflict with the federal guidance. An earlier version of this story misstated that the local and state rules were temporarily in conflict.

You can reach Staff Writer Martin Espinoza at 707-521-5213 or martin.espinoza@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @pressreno.