California health officials have extended the indoor mask mandate at public premises through Feb. 15 as the number of COVID-19 cases spikes following the spread of the highly-transmissible Omicron variant.
The mandate, which requires masks to be worn regardless of the vaccination status, started on Dec. 15, 2021, and was set to expire on Jan. 15. State Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly announced the extension on Wednesday. Whether the mandate will be removed in February is yet to be decided.
