Ventura County extends indoor mask mandate again for vaccinated, unvaccinated

VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. - The Ventura County Public Health Officer extended the county's indoor face covering order on Monday.

The order requires both vaccinated and unvaccinated members of the public to wear face coverings when indoors in public settings.

The mandate was previously extended in September after a surge of COVID-19 cases in the county and was set to expire Oct. 19.

The order will now continue to be in effect until:

• Ventura County reaches the moderate (yellow) COVID-19 transmission tier, as defined by the CDC, and remains there for at least three weeks. This entails a daily case rate of seven per 100,000 residents.
• COVID-19 hospitalizations in the county are low and stable per the judgement of the Health Officer; and
• Eight weeks have passed since a COVID-19 vaccine has been authorized for emergency use by federal and state authorities for 5-to 11-year-olds OR 80% of the county's eligible population is fully vaccinated with two doses of Pfizer or Moderna or one dose of Johnson & Johnson (boosters not considered).

The County said the order can also be extended, rescinded, superseded or amended in writing by the Health Officer at any time.

“The order is necessary to reduce the rate of community spread and to reinforce the need for safe interactions. We will continue to monitor transmission rates, hospitalizations, deaths and vaccination rates throughout the County,” said Public Health Officer Dr. Robert Levin.

This order requires face coverings to be worn over both the mouth and nose in all indoor public settings, venues, gatherings and workplaces.

Performers at indoor live events such as theater, opera, symphony, and professional sports and persons
speaking before a live audience may remove face coverings while actively performing or participating,
though such individuals should practice physical distancing as much as practicable.

For more information, you can view the FAQ's at www.vcrecovers.org.