Alameda County feeling COVID fatigue with case surge, renewed mask mandate
ALAMEDA COUNTY -- An indoor mask mandate is now back in effect in the East Bay after Alameda County officials renewed its mask requirement in an attempt to control the latest surge in COVID cases.
On Thursday, health officials announced the renewed masking requirement for most indoor public settings that went into effect at 12:01 a.m. Friday. Officials noted the new masking mandate does not apply to the city of Berkeley, which is under its own independent local health jurisdiction.
Residents across the Bay Area are likely noticing the rising number of cases among family, friends and co-workers. Alameda County is the first part of the region to take steps to control the case surge.
Dr. Peter Chin-Hong of UCSF told KPIX 5 it was the right move amidst a widespread and likely underreported Bay Area surge.
"We should definitely be masking indoors at this point. There is a lot of virus circulating. Of course the numbers that are official are not the actual numbers; probably two, three, even more times of what the actual numbers are," he said.
At one East Bay gym, those looking to get their sweat on were caught off guard in the wee hours of the morning.
"I was surprised by walking in and checking in. I had to go back to my car, grab a mask," said one person.
Among the Bay Area counties that put on a united front at the beginning of the pandemic, Alameda County so far is going it alone this time.
"I'm always happy to do what it takes to protect the vulnerable. I'm just very interested in the science to see how effective it really is," said Allison Ross.
Around the city of Alameda, most businesses had dusted off their old mask mandated signs and had them taped up in windows again by Friday afternoon.
Dr. Chin-Hong says it's important to not only mask up, but move from a cloth mask to at least a surgical mask and keep this in mind when puling it over your nose.
"Something that's well fitted, where you can feel warmth of your breath when you breathe," he explained.
There is not currently an expiration date on Alameda County's latest indoor mask mandate.
Following the announcement by health officials, AC Transit followed suit, issuing a statement saying that face masks were required when boarding, riding, and exiting all AC Transit bus lines. The release said the new onboard face mask requirement would also take effect at 12:01 a.m. on Friday and remain in place until further notice.
Anyone who is not vaccinated or boosted is strongly urged to get vaccinated if eligible and to communicate with health professionals if feeling symptoms or after testing positive. Residents can visit the Alameda County COVID-19 website for additional information and resources.