California Governor’s Office Urges Diners to Wear Masks ‘In Between Bites’ to Curb COVID-19 Spread

California Gov. Gavin Newsom in Oakland, Calif., on June 9, 2020. (Associated Press Pool)

California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office urged state residents on Oct. 3 to wear face masks “in between bites” if they dine out at restaurants, as part of measures to curb the transmission of COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP virus.

“Going out to eat with members of your household this weekend? Don’t forget to keep your mask on in between bites,” the governor’s office posted on Twitter on Oct. 3.

Face masks and coverings are mandatory statewide for those who leave their home; those who work in customer-facing industries; workers in offices, factories, or any group setting; health care professionals; and others as dictated by industry guidance.

“Wearing a mask or cloth face covering can slow the spread of COVID-19 by limiting the release of virus into the air,” the state’s COVID-19 guidance reads. “It also reinforces physical distancing, and shows you care about the health of others.”

Indoor dining has resumed in a number of California counties. On Sept. 30, indoor dining was allowed in San Francisco at 25 percent capacity.

The social media post was also shared with a graphic, titled “COVID-19 DINER TIP 1,” which asks residents to “minimize the number of times you take your mask off,” which some Twitter users criticized as contradictory and against advice on mask removal issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“This contradicts your own graphic. Is it minimize the amount of times you touch your mask? Or mask up in between every bite? (Asking for a friend because I’m not eating at restaurants.)” one person responded.

People eat at the Busy Bee Diner in Ventura, Calif., on May 24, 2020. (Brent Stirton/Getty Images)

The CDC advises people to carefully remove their masks at home, ensuring that they don’t touch their eyes, nose, and mouth when doing so. The agency also recommends washing hands immediately afterward.

“Increasing the number of times you touch your face, constantly removing mask each time you take a bite? Any calculations done on how many ‘bites’ each individual takes in a meal and therefore how many hand-to-face contacts that will mean? Presume that has been risk-assessed?” another wrote in response to the post.

“I’m very confused by this tweet,” wrote another. “The image suggests you should only take your mask off once when you begin a meal but the text suggests you should put it back on between bites.”

The Epoch Times reached out to the governor’s office for clarification on the Oct. 3 post, but didn’t immediately hear back.

As of Oct. 6, California had reported a total of 828,461 COVID-19 cases and 16,177 deaths.