LOS ANGELES — Indoor masking will no longer be mandatory at California schools and child care facilities after March 11, a long-debated and much-anticipated move that comes as the state continues its steady emergence from the omicron wave of COVID-19.
Though Monday’s announcement is just the latest move to loosen California’s formerly strict face-covering policies, it may wind up being the most significant in the near term — it could allow potentially millions of K-12 schoolchildren to go maskless in the classroom for the first time in months. And, in another major move, California officials said masks will be strongly recommended, but no longer required, for unvaccinated individuals in most indoor settings starting Tuesday.
How much of an impact the state’s action will make remains to be seen. Local officials retain the option of keeping mask rules in place if they think doing so is warranted, and more than 1,000 school districts face making their own decisions on when to take that step — contingent on county health orders and labor agreements.
