Starting Nov. 1, anyone who isn't a patient will need to wear a mask in the patient areas of nursing homes, dialysis centers and a few other kinds of health care sites in Sonoma County. County Health Officer Dr. Mia Shim issued the order Wednesday, and it runs through March 31, 2027.
Where it applies
The order covers skilled nursing facilities, the parts of long-term care facilities where nursing care is provided, acute and non-acute rehabilitation facilities, infusion centers and dialysis centers. Staff and visitors alike must mask whether or not they are vaccinated, in places such as lobby registration desks, waiting rooms, exam rooms, therapy rooms and anywhere else patients and providers interact. Covered facilities are responsible for enforcing it. Under the order's text, Shim can adjust the dates or add facility types based on virus surveillance data, and would alert facilities through a health advisory.
General hospitals and ordinary outpatient clinics are not on the list. That is narrower than in 2024, when the county's order also reached acute-care hospitals, inpatient psychiatric hospitals and outpatient medical clinics, The Press Democrat reported. Shim still strongly recommends masking for workers at all health care facilities during the season.
One season at a time
The county has issued some version of this order every respiratory virus season since 2017. The notable change is that it no longer renews itself: last year's order was written to apply annually, while this one covers only the 2026-27 season. Shim told The Press Democrat she thinks it is "appropriate to periodically reassess public health measures rather than assume the same approach should continue indefinitely."
For future winters she wants to explore what she called a "more data-informed approach," such as tying masking rules to a threshold for emergency room visits for acute respiratory illness. She said the county would weigh the evidence, local virus data and the experience of health care providers before deciding.
Vaccines, too
Shim urged everyone 6 months and older to get updated flu and COVID-19 vaccines, plus an RSV shot for those who are eligible. The county noted those vaccines remain covered by insurance for Californians of all ages. She described masks and vaccines as layers that work together, with masks cutting transmission inside health care settings and vaccines reducing severe illness, hospitalization and death.
She also encouraged people to mask in indoor public places when local transmission is high, and pointed residents to the county's respiratory virus dashboard to check current levels.