State Indoor Mask Mandate Ending for Schools March 11; Pasadena to Formulate Local Response

California will lift its requirement that students and staff wear masks indoors at schools at 11:59 p.m. March 11, making face coverings “strongly recommended” but not mandated, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Monday. The Pasadena Public Health Dept. has not yet determined if Pasadena will follow suit.

Noting that local jurisdictions have authority to mandate stricter requirements than state minimums, the PPHD said Monday it “will be reviewing the data as far as local COVID-19 and vaccination trends, consider new CDC metrics, and work with LA County to provide a timeline for new guidance for schools based on lower risk.”

In a statement by city spokesperson Lisa Derderian, the Dept. said it “will be important” that city’s response be coordinated with Los Angeles County health officials because 30 to 50 percent of Pasadena private school teachers and students are not city residents, and because several Pasadena Unified School District schools are located outside of the Pasadena Public Health geographic boundary for the jurisdiction.

PUSD Superindent Dr. Brian McDonald told Pasadena Now on Monday that the District “will follow the PPHD protocols on this matter, meaning that if they make masking at schools optional we will immediately change our protocols to align with theirs.”

Los Angeles County — which has taken a conservative approach throughout the pandemic in easing public health rules — issued a statement saying it will align with the state and will lift the school masking requirement as of March 12.

But the county Department of Public Health noted: “School districts may require masking at schools and during school activities and are encouraged to consult with teachers, staff, parents and students as they consider the appropriate safety protections for their school community, recognizing that many individuals may want to continue additional protections.”

The California Republican Party issued a statement Monday saying the school mask rule should end immediately, not in two weeks.

“When it comes to our children, Newsom led from behind throughout the pandemic, bowing to the political power of the teachers’ unions,” according to state GOP Chairwoman Jessica Millan Patterson. “The impacts caused by his lack of courage and politically calculated decisions kept California kids out of school longer than any other state and will be felt for years to come. I’m not sure whether to ask Newsom or the unions to respect parents’ rights to make decisions in the best interest of their children, but the school mask mandate should end today.”

“California continues to adjust our policies based on the latest data and science, applying what we’ve learned over the past two years to guide our response to the pandemic,” Newsom said in a statement. “Masks are an effective tool to minimize spread of the virus and future variants, especially when transmission rates are high. We cannot predict the future of the virus, but we are better prepared for it and will continue to take measures rooted in science to keep California moving forward.”

The governors of Oregon and Washington joined Newsom in Monday’s announcement, with those states also announcing a lifting of indoor mask requirements as of 11:59 p.m. March 11 — effectively ending the face-covering rules for the entire West Coast.

The announcement comes following Friday’s change in guidance by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which adopted new standards that rely largely on COVID hospital numbers to govern whether masks should be worn. Those new standards — while resulted in mask recommendations being lifted for much of the country, still classified Los Angeles and San Diego counties as having “high” virus activity and urged that people continue to wear masks.

Despite California’s lifting of indoor mask-wearing requirements, Los Angeles County continues to require face coverings in most indoor settings. However, the county is allowing vaccinated people to remove their masks in indoor locations where all patrons are checked for either a COVID vaccination or a recent negative test.

According to the county Department of Public Health, the agency “will review any additional state guidance changes and provide an update on additional modifications to LA County safety measures during (Tuesday’s) Board of Supervisors meeting.”

There has been a growing push by two county supervisors for an end to the county’s mask-wearing mandate. Supervisors Kathryn Barger and Janice Hahn have both said the county should align fully with the state to avoid confusion and frustration among residents.

Barger on Monday hailed the state’s announcement easing masking rules, and again called for an end to the requirement.

“During tomorrow’s (Tuesday’s) L.A. County Board of Supervisors meeting, our county’s public health director has committed to articulating a plan for how L.A. County will adjust its masking mandates and restrictions,” Barger said in a statement. “I look forward to that discussion and will continue to call for clarity and consistency with state and federal guidelines.

“It’s clear to me that, as the Omicron surge continues to decrease in L.A. County, we need to implement flexible COVID-19 infection control policies and move away from rigid approaches. The time for compulsory masking mandates has come to an end.”