Costa Mesa to Consider Lifting Mask Mandate

Parents and students gather in front of the Orange County Department of Education to protest wearing masks, in Costa Mesa, Calif., on May 17, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Costa Mesa officials are scheduled to consider lifting the city’s mask mandate and following the state’s relaxed guidelines that allow fully vaccinated individuals to go without face coverings in most indoor settings.

The Costa Mesa City Council will ponder the decision during its June 1 meeting, more than a year after the mandate was first implemented in April 2020. Violators of the citywide mandate could have faced a $100 fine.

“As more individuals are vaccinated, and case counts are falling, and as the State of California prepares to fully re-open the economy, the need for Costa Mesa to have its own regulations regarding face coverings has eased,” according to a city report.

The report recommends that once the city repeals the mandate, it should follow California Department of Public Health (CDPH) guidelines regarding the use of face coverings.

According to state guidance, fully vaccinated individuals can visit other fully vaccinated people indoors or outdoors without masks or social distancing, and must only wear face coverings outdoors at crowded public events.

People who are not vaccinated are required to wear face coverings outdoors whenever social distancing cannot be maintained. In indoor settings outside of one’s home, including public transportation, face coverings will continue to be required regardless of vaccination status, the report stated, except as outlined by the state.

State and Orange County health department requirements have become less strict in mandating face coverings following a significant decline in CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus cases, hospitalizations, and deaths, and an increase in the number of adults receiving the CCP virus vaccine.

The use of masks throughout the past year “were likely very instrumental in helping to lessen the city’s infection and fatality rate during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic,” according to the city report.

“It also helped to ensure that the city’s essential workers, such as critical Fire and Police personnel responsible for handling the pandemic were kept as safely as possible to provide emergency services to the public.”