Statewide indoor mask mandate for vaccinated Californians to end tonight at midnight

California will end its indoor masking requirement for vaccinated people starting on Wednesday morning, as the mandate expires February 15 at midnight, actually 12:01 a.m. Wednesday morning to be precise.

Masks will still be required for schoolchildren, along with unvaccinated people. School rules could change later this month, as California Health & Human Services Agency Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly revealed on Monday that it will be reassessed on Feb. 28.

Check Out: CA school mask mandate to be reassessed on Feb. 28

Vaccinated or not — people will have to wear masks in higher-risk areas like public transit and nursing homes and other congregate living facilities, California officials said.

And as many vaccinated residents are getting ready to ditch the masks once again, some parts of the valley are opting to keep them on.

“We’re advising our employees to keep their masks on," said Kitchen 86 manager Joseph Morano, "As far as guests and customers, they’re on their own. we don’t discriminate. if you don’t want to wear a mask or if you’re vaccinated.”

Some local businesses are leaving the decision to mask up to their employees.

“She gave us the choice, either to continue wearing the mask if we felt we needed to protect ourselves," said sales associate for Nicole on El Paseo Sue Kirkish, "And in addition, if we wanted the customers that came in to continue to wear a mask, we can ask them also.”

Riverside County Health spokesperson, Jose Arballo, said the county will follow state guidelines as covid cases decline. “The numbers are going down, our positivity rate is going down. Hospitalizations are going down.”

But he does urge anyone to do whatever makes them feel safe.

“If you're comfortable to wear the mask indoors, then keep wearing it. I think, you know, the idea of safe or not safe is one of those things as it's kind of interpretive. You can interpret it one way or the other. I think for our purposes, it's safer with a mask than it is without a mask.”

The City of Palm Springs, which has had some of the strictest Covid-restrictions in the Valley, will continue to extend its mask mandate despite state guidelines. The city council voted unanimously last Thursday evening to give City Manager Justin Clifton the authority to remove the city's restrictions when appropriate.

“So we're in the process right now of evaluating those key measures. Not just the ones that were used kind of throughout the pandemic or at the early stages, but the ones that make sense,"Clifton said, "Especially for where we're at today with omicron. and from that we're going to determine what good scientific measures should be used to lift restrictions or to justify maintaining them”

The council also added a provision giving Clifton the ability to remove restrictions at different times.

Clifton told News Channel 3 decisions are based on what makes residents feel safe.

“We've heard from local businesses, we've heard from locals that they appreciate having some of these rules in place that help protect people. We do have vulnerable populations in Palm Springs, and frankly, we want to prioritize health and safety.”

So what would it take to lift the mask mandate in Palm Springs?

Clifton said the city is still determining those factors, but will have a more specific answer by the end of this week.