Monterey County mask ordinance now in place but masks still not mandatory.

Today is the day that Monterey County's mask ordinance goes into effect but that does not mean masks are mandatory inside businesses just yet. Wording in the ordinance makes them a requirement only if the county is rated by the Centers for Disease Control as being in the "substantial" or "high" categories for the spread of Covid-19.

Today the CDC's Covid-19 tracker shows Monterey County in the "substantial range," however, according to a county spokesperson, the data being used is from yesterday and new data will not be posted until Monday. County officials are waiting until then to make a call about whether masks are required.

The CDC shows the county with 264 cases for the week of Oct. 22-28, a 26 percent increase over the previous seven-day period. Most of those cases are likely unvaccinated residents, which has been the trend for months now. For the week of Oct. 12-18, the county is showing a case rate of 8.3 cases per 100,000 residents for unvaccinated people and 2.9 for those vaccinated.

For now masks continue to be recommended indoors in public spaces for everyone age two and above, under a directive issued by Monterey County Health Officer Edward Moreno on July 19. 

Should the county enter the "substantial" category for Covid, the ordinance will be triggered for 30 days throughout the county, including cities. Wording in the ordinance does allow the Board of Supervisors to decide against a requirement should there be an unusual spike in cases that subsides quickly.

Enacting the county's ordinance proved controversial. The Supervisors first considered an urgency ordinance on Sept. 8, but it failed to achieve the four-fifths vote necessary to pass. A long queue of speakers on both sides of the issues argued passionately for and against. Two supervisors—John Phillips and Chris Lopez—said they couldn't justify voting in favor, in part because the county's Covid numbers were trending downward.

The three supervisors who did vote for it—Chair Wendy Root Askew, Luis Alejo and Mary Adams—were then able to pass a regular ordinance on Sept. 14, but not without making concessions that included the triggering mechanism. It was still a 3-2 split vote, with Phillips and Lopez voting no.