City of Oakland (Photo: oakland.ca.gov)
Oakland City Council Reinstates Indoor Public Masking Mandate
‘Rather than take a calm and measured approach, they’re doing a knee-jerk reaction’
By Evan Symon, December 21, 2022 2:46 pm
The Oakland City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to bring back mandatory masking at all indoor public facilities in order to fight rising cases of COVID, flu, and RSV.
The move culminates in a year where Oakland had continual on again-off again masking policies. Mandatory indoor public masking had initially ended in the Spring due to the end of the COVID-19 winter surge, only to be reinstated once again in early June. While that mandate once went away again later in the summer, the city facility mandate stayed in effect until November 28th. However, protestors in favor of the return of the mandate, as well as spikes in the number of COVID-19, flu, and RSV in Alameda County, played against the end of the mandate, with the City Council reinstating it after less than a month off.
Specifically, the mandate will require masks for all those ages 6 and up going into indoor government buildings, which include libraries and courthouses. The mandate is effective immediately.
Thank you to Oakland City Council for stepping up where our public health leaders have failed, and restoring the mask requirement in govt buildings!
A special thank you to Vice Mayor @Kaplan4Oakland for your leadership in introducing this resolution: https://t.co/N6WB1r4AJQ
— Jenn (@JenniferLerner1) December 21, 2022
“There are millions of people for whom unmasking is dangerous, including those who cannot be vaccinated, individuals who are immunocompromised, and people with various disabilities and ‘pre-existing conditions,” said Vice Mayor Rebecca Kaplan. “Mayor Libby Schaaf had lifted the prior mandate with no discussion.”
City Councilman Dan Kalb, who brought forth the return of the mandate for voting along with Kaplan, added on Tuesday, “There are millions of people for whom unmasking is dangerous, including those who cannot be vaccinated, individuals who are immunocompromised, and people with various disabilities and ‘pre-existing conditions. Given the rise in cases, wearing high quality masks is the best thing we can do right now.”
“With increased hospitalizations, with increased infection rates, with new variants coming out recently and to be expected in the future, we have an obligation to protect both our employees and the residents who come indoors into city buildings and make sure they are fully protected.”
With the Oakland City Hall and other government buildings currently closed to the public, and employees still being required to be vaccinated, the mandate of Tuesday returned Oakland to being one of the top restrictive Californian cities due to COVID-19 regulations.
“No other city is acting out as much as they are,” Rogerio Luna, a COVID-19 restriction researcher in San Diego, told the Globe on Wednesday. “Los Angeles, for example, is right now contemplating a public indoor masking mandate return come next month. Not great, but they’re basing it on CDC guidelines and giving it a few weeks to make sure levels remain high. Other cities are just not putting it back on no matter what, since they don’t want to go through all that again.”
“In Oakland, it was just one City Council vote, and boom, mandate back for all city government buildings, no matter how broad it is. Even in San Francisco they aren’t doing this. San Francisco. Rather than take a calm and measured approach, they’re instead doing a knee-jerk reaction to it. Not exactly the best strategy.”
While there is no current end date for the new mandate, a budget proposal on how much it would cost to provide masks at all Oakland Government buildings through April 1st is to be discussed soon, marking a possible March 31st end date next year.
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Shove it deep where the sun don’t shine.
People need to do their own research, starting with neurologists… effects of oxygen deprivation, impact on immune system, bacteria (Strep A?), let alone masks as a symbol of submission, and quit being conned. The supposed ‘expert’ at the CDC has flipped so many times on masks, and has admitted 91% miscarriages resulted from vaxx…
and you trust them with yours and your families most valued posession, your health?
I will not mask again, it’s insane, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results.
Even Fauci admitted in the beginning of the scamdemic that masks are useless against small virus particles. The mask mandate instituted by the Democrat cabal on the Oakland City Council is all about control of the peons?
Well it is Oakland. Which has not had a functioning city government since the 1970’s.
But it looks like Oakland / Alameda County can go one better than LA with totally unqualified people running the county Dept of Health. In LA its a someone with a degree in social work / sociology. Who is completely unhinged. In Oakland its someone with a history degree with a long career in local government bureaucracy / NGO’s and lobbying. Not a MD in sight.
As for the masks and SARs CoV 2. The actual science is N99’swill give some protection in an enclosed space, poorly ventilated, for an extended period of time with someone with an active infection and symptoms. The dry cough. Or N95’s if a well ventilated space. Everything else, pure placebo. And any “expert” who says otherwise is either a charlatan or a liar.
Now when if comes to winter flu’s etc, which involve sneezing or wet coughs, if you are around someone who is coughing and sneezing even one of those surgical masks will give some real protection against wet cough / sneeze particles. If worn correctly. Its a very nasty flu season out there so lots of rhinoviruses, influenza and RSV infections doing the rounds. As for SARs CoV 2 risk, wait until I stop laughing. There is none. Except as a hospital acquired infection. Just like almost all pneumonias.
I’d advise keeping a N99 about you if on public transit or enclosed public places. When some idiot with a bad cold / flu comes around , coughing everywhere with no regard for anyone, putting on an N99 really changes the atmosphere. In more ways that one. Its funny to watch the reaction of the stupid , the rude and the credulous when you put on a 3M lab grade N99 respirator mask . Doing it property so there is a true air seal. A great way of ensuring you get very wide social distancing.
Plus the people in their stupid cloth masks go very quiet and thoughtful when they see what an actual airborne infectious disease respirator mask looks like. Totally unlike what they are wearing. Its fun watching the smug and sanctimonious looking uncomfortable.
Talk about pathetic, this is the government folks!
3 words: Power and control!
P.S.
Just one more reason to stay out of the venomous pit called Oakland!
With all the problems that exist in Oakland, leave it to the Democrat city council to mandate masks. Maybe people in Oakland will be deprived of enough oxygen by wearing their masks to notice how much of a hellhole the city has become?
Nazi’s are back – They cannot go without controlling the people very long.
I think it is to keep shoplifters and those looting stores to remain unidentified in the name of “equity”.
Nobody cares what you advise….
Just like “Dr.” Ferrer you aren’t an MD either…
Fauci recently admitted under oath he is not aware of any study that proves masks are effective for respiratory viruses…