Health care workers, visitors and anyone else who isn’t a patient will be required to wear masks in patient care areas of certain Sonoma County health facilities starting next month, under a new county health order meant to blunt the spread of respiratory illness through the winter. The rule applies regardless of vaccination status and runs from Nov. 1 through March 31, 2027.
The order, confirmed by The Press Democrat, requires health care personnel and other non-patients to wear protective masks in patient areas of certain health care facilities. Per the newspaper’s report, covered settings include skilled nursing facilities, portions of long-term care facilities where nursing care is provided, acute and non-acute rehabilitation facilities, dialysis centers and infusion centers. The order takes effect at 12:01 a.m. on Nov. 1, 2026, and remains in effect through March 31, 2027, according to the text of Order No. RVP26-01.
Patient care areas under the order include registration desks in lobbies, waiting rooms, examination rooms and therapy rooms, the Press Democrat’s report notes. The masking requirement is aimed at reducing respiratory-virus transmission during fall and winter and protecting people at the highest risk of severe illness, the same report states.
Why the Rule Targets These Facilities
The order’s focus on nursing homes, rehab centers and dialysis and infusion clinics reflects concerns about vulnerable patients and staff-patient interactions. The order does not specify the total number of facilities or people affected.
The timing lines up with a broader statewide pattern. Flu rates in California began ticking up in mid-September, a rise that typically doesn’t start until November or December, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The outlet also reported that flu hospitalizations began increasing in September and are expected to keep climbing through October.
COVID-19 activity in California, meanwhile, peaked in mid-September and has since tapered off, though rates remain relatively high, per the Chronicle’s reporting, while RSV rates have stayed low. Some respiratory viruses are typically more active from October through March.
Other Counties Take Their Own Approaches
Sonoma isn’t alone in reviving winter masking rules. Santa Cruz County is requiring masks inside skilled nursing facilities and infusion centers during the upcoming respiratory virus season, according to Local News Matters. That order also covers dialysis and chemotherapy centers and applies to both health care workers and visitors in the listed facilities, running through March 31, 2027 as well.
Mendocino County took a different route. The county ordered unvaccinated health workers in hospitals, clinics and nursing homes to mask around patients starting Nov. 1, 2026, according to The Mendocino Voice. That order, issued under California Health and Safety Code Section 120175, runs through April 30, 2027 unless rescinded, replaced or amended in writing, the outlet reported — a longer window than Sonoma’s and one tied specifically to vaccination status rather than applying to all personnel.
Legal Basis for the Order
Sonoma County’s health officer is acting under several sections of California law in issuing the order, including Health and Safety Code sections 1288.7, 101040, 101085 and 120175, as well as Section 5199 of Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations, according to the Sonoma County Department of Health Services. Violations may be misdemeanors punishable by fine, imprisonment, or both, and the order lists exemptions and accommodations.
