Face Coverings

Mask Mandate to be amended March 7th, 2022 to No Longer Require Masks in Public Spaces

Orange County leaders say decision is contingent on COVID-19 Community Levels.

Effective Monday, March 7, 2022, Orange County will no longer require masks in public, indoor spaces if key COVID-19 metrics continue to reach medium and low community levels.

The following metrics ― determined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ― will serve as the indicators. They currently show Orange County is in the high-risk category.

-New cases ― New COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people in the last seven days is less than200.Orange County is at 150.87.

-New hospital admissions ― New COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100,000 people inthe last seven days is less than 20. Orange County is at 28.29.

-Inpatient beds ― Staffed inpatient beds occupied by COVID-19 patients (7-day average)is less than 15%. Orange County is at 12.86%.

-Read more about Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 CommunityLevels at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/science/community-levels.html

Orange County leaders will rely on the most up-to-date information. Please note that the CDC dashboard COVID-19 Community Levels is not updated daily. If the numbers trend up to the high community transmission level, Orange County will reserve the right to amend the mask mandate to again require masks in public, indoor spaces.