The city of San Jose has reinstated its mask mandate for employees due to rising COVID-19 case rates, a city spokesperson confirmed Monday.
The mandate was reinstated effective May 6 for two weeks out of an abundance of caution, as first reported by San Jose Spotlight.
Recent data from Santa Clara County showing an increase in positive COVID-19 cases prompted the move, the spokesperson said.
As of April 29, the county reported a seven-day rolling average of 496 new cases. On May 2 and May 3, the county dashboard shows about 840 new cases for each of those days. On May 4, the total dropped to 620.
"The priority remains the health and safety of or employees," said San Jose Spokeswoman Demetria Machado. "We anticipate lifting the requirement for Friday May 20, 2022. However it may be extended as we continue to monitor case rates within Santa Clara County and within our workforce.”
At the Alum Rock School District the mask mandate was never lifted. Administrators said they had no choice because local community cases were high, but vaccination rates were low.
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"I feel very reassured that the decision to keep the masks was good. It was an important layer of protection," said Alum Rock School District Superintendent Dr. Hilaria Bauer.
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The superintendent is now considering extending the mask requirement to summer school.
The question now, as every Bay Area county is back in the high transmission category, is whether others will follow San Jose's lead.
