Pasadena City Manager Pushes Back Against “Inaccurate” Reports About Indoor Mask Exemptions

Recent news reports that the state provided the city and county of San Francisco an exemption to the state mask requirements were inaccurate, according to Pasadena City Manager Cynthia Kurtz.

Kurtz reported Thursday that the Pasadena Public Health Department has confirmed with state health officials that no local jurisdictions have been granted exemptions from the state indoor masking order.

Local health jurisdictions are allowed to maintain health orders that are stricter — but not less — strict than the state, Kurtz pointed out.

Health orders establishing masking requirements issued by local health jurisdictions prior to December 13, such as those issued by the city and county of San Francisco, are allowed to continue and are not subject to the state order when they match or are stricter.

Pasadena’s indoor masking order was issued July 21. It directs all individuals to wear face masks when indoors in public settings, with limited exemptions, and requires businesses to make face masks available to individuals entering the business.

San Francisco instituted strict indoor masking requirements over the summer and eased them in October 2021, allowing people to remove face coverings in settings where 100% of those present are vaccinated.

Those settings cannot exceed 100 people and are required to meet a variety of other coronavirus safety standards including ventilation, restrictions on guests, prohibition of children under 12, and prohibition of any unvaccinated person. Currently, there is no such vaccination requirement or additional safety standards for any setting in Pasadena or LA County outside the City of LA.