The state of California announced a statewide mask mandate on Monday for all residents (regardless of vaccination status) when visiting indoor, public settings. The mandate will be in effect from Wednesday, December 15, 2021 through January 15, 2022.
The state is also recommending that travelers returning to California be tested three to five days after arrival.
In addition, people attending mega-events (1,000+ attendees), where proof of vaccination is not required, will now need to show proof of a negative test taken within one day for an antigen test, and two days for a PCR test. The previous requirement was 72 hours.
The mandate was prompted by the latest variant, as 18 cases of the omicron variant had been reported statewide on Friday, December 10, 2021.