People Embrace First Weekend of Maskless Activities in San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) -- With the omicron surge that slammed the U.S. this winter is receding, people in the Bay Area headed out for the first weekend since the indoor mask mandate went into effect.
"We're going to get a pause for three to six months, regardless of what comes next," said UCSF Infectious Disease Specialist Dr. Peter Chin-Hong.
Dr. Chin-Hong says he expects community immunity to wane in the early fall. Still, he said we shouldn't see too many severe cases with boosters and recent infections at play.
For now, he says there are some situations where people should still wear masks.
"Certainly, crowded indoor setting, where you're spending a lot of time, poor ventilation, I think most people know that already. But there are other scenarios, particularly if you're older than 65 and unboosted," he added.
We found some folks still getting used to not having to wear masks along the Embarcadero Saturday night.
"Actually, I'm very happy about it. Concerned still about COVID, because we have some family members who are immune compromised, but it's nice," said Renee Chatas of Oakland.
"I haven't really noticed it yet, because I work in the city and our company still mandates that we still wear the masks. So we have really strict rules at work and I've been following it and it's been habit," said Phil Cepeda of Dublin. "So I sometimes find myself driving home on the freeway with the mask when it's not even necessary."
This week, Governor Newsom unveiled the state's plan to move from a pandemic to an endemic. California is the first state in the country to formally shift to such an approach - a long-term strategy that includes reliance on vaccines, testing, and masks.
"Feels like we're naked without it on now, but it's a little unusual but eventually it'll feel natural again," said Sean Anayah of Sacramento. "It definitely feels like a breath of fresh air, no pun intended."
The governor is expected to announce his mask policy in schools on February 28th. Currently students still have to wear masks indoors at schools.