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Alameda County is aligned with state masking guidance except as required by local Order for staff in skilled nursing facilities.
COVID-19 continues to circulate in our communities. COVID-19 poses the greatest risk for severe disease to those over 65 years of age and persons with certain health issues. But, anyone who gets COVID-19 can develop long COVID.
Persons 2 years of age and older may want to continue masking in indoor public settings and businesses, even when the County COVID-19 Hospital Admission Level is Low. When people wear a mask correctly, they protect others as well as themselves.
Some people should not wear a mask, such as children younger than 2 and people with certain medical conditions or disabilities.
Masking guidance for persons with COVID-19 or who have been exposed can be found on the Isolation and Quarantine page.
Persons 2 years of age and older may want to continue masking in indoor public settings and businesses, even when the County COVID-19 Hospital Admission Level is Low. When people wear a mask correctly, they protect others as well as themselves.
Some people should not wear a mask, such as children younger than 2 and people with certain medical conditions or disabilities.
Masking guidance for persons with COVID-19 or who have been exposed can be found on the Isolation and Quarantine page.
- Staff in Skilled Nursing Facilities MUST wear high quality, well-fitting masks in patient care areas
- In workplaces, employers and employees are subject to either the Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Prevention Non-Emergency Regulations or the Cal/OSHA Aerosol Transmissible Diseases (ATD) Standard and should consult those regulations for applicable masking requirements.
- When required by any business, government office, health care facility, adult or senior care facility, youth-serving facility, transport operator or transportation hub, or other entity.
Follow these tips for protection against COVID-19:
- Get vaccinated and boosted – vaccination is the single most important action to prevent severe disease and death from COVID-19.
- Layer your protection — in addition to vaccination and masking, improve ventilation (or gather outdoors), get tested if exposed or ill, and stay home if sick.
- Talk to your medical provider if you are immunocompromised or have other health risks.
You can choose to wear a mask, especially if you answer yes to any of the following:
- Are you over age 65 or have health issues that puts you at risk for a severe case of COVID-19?
- Are you missing your most recent recommended COVID-19 vaccine dose?
- Do you live/visit with people at risk of going to the hospital if they get COVID-19?
- Do you go to work or interact with the public regularly?
- Is the COVID-19 Hospital Admission Level High where you live, in your social group, or where you are going?
- Do you feel safer with a mask?
- Get the Most Out of Masking
- California’s Vaccine Record Guidelines and Standards
- CDC Guidance for using masks
- CDC Science Brief: Community Use of Masks to Control the Spread of SARS-CoV-2
- CDC Guidance for N95 Respirators
- Find Free N95 Masks
- Masks Required for Entry Posters: English | Arabic | Burmese | Dari | Farsi | Hindi | Khmer | Korean | Mongolian | Pashto | Punjabi | Spanish | Tagalog | Tigrinya | Traditional Chinese | Vietnamese
