California lifts mask mandate as virus cases fall

California will end its indoor masking requirement for vaccinated people next week but masks still are the rule for schoolchildren, state health officials announced Monday amid rapidly falling coronavirus cases.

The unvaccinated people still will be required to be masked indoors, and everyone vaccinated or not will have to wear masks in higher-risk areas like public transit and nursing homes and other congregate living facilities.

California has seen a 65% drop in case rates since the peak during the wintertime omicron surge. The county will then end its mask requirement for large outdoor events such as concerts and sporting events and for outdoor spaces at schools and child-care facilities.

Health officials continue emphasizing that those most at risk for the virus are the unvaccinated, and that booster shots in particular provide significant protection from serious illness, hospitalization and death.