The Contra Costa County health department on Tuesday recommended people wear masks in crowded indoor settings as COVID-19 infections increase throughout the Bay Area. The department said masking is particularly important for those at high risk of serious illness if infected. However, the department also stressed that it is a recommendation, not a health order, and it aligns with existing state requirements and recent advice issued in neighboring counties.
Health officials said in a statement that a particularly infectious strain of COVID-19 called FLiRT is spreading throughout the western United States, driving the current surge. Wastewater sampling from the county shows a steady increase in the presence of the virus. State testing of wastewater samples from the Central Contra Costa Sanitary District showed that concentrations of COVID-19 more than quadrupled from May 9 to July 9.
Recently, wastewater concentration has plateaued but still remains high. Bay Area health agencies jointly lifted most of their requirements and orders to mask indoors in February 2022. But whenever COVID-19 case rates grew high, they also recommended masking, particularly for those at high risk for serious illness, as a prevention measure.
"Face masks are an effective tool to reduce the spread of the virus, particularly for those who are at risk for serious illness when there is evidence of elevated COVID-19 activity in the community," said Ori Tzvieli, Contra Costa County's health officer, in a sta.