The California agency in charge of workplace health and safety recommended Thursday to lift masking guidelines in certain cases. Cap Radio’s Steven Rascón has more.
The Cal/OSHA proposal targets employees who interact with the public and those whose workplaces aren’t 100-percent vaccinated. The changes come just two weeks before the state fully reopens.
It bucks the recent recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention allowing vaccinated people to unmask in most cases.
Monica Ghandi is an infectious disease expert at UCSF. She says she agrees with the CDC’s guidance.
“I do understand OSHA being conservative, we're coming out of a pandemic, but I do think there really is no reason for even employees at public facing spaces to wear masks after they are vaccinated,” says Ghandi.
The Cal/OSHA board initially struck down the proposal, but reversed course late into a 9-hour meeting. They’ll now create a subcommittee to recommend new changes going forward.