The Bay Area will be mask-free for vaccinated individuals, another sign that COVID-19 is in the rear view

Santa Clara County is lifting its indoor mask mandate for vaccinated individuals, effective March 2.

Santa Clara County Public Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody announced the decision during a press conference on Tuesday, citing that the county has reached the metric of 550 or fewer cases per day for a full week for the first time.

After Los Angeles County's mandate ended last week, Santa Clara County was the last in the state to keep an indoor masking requirement. Currently, masks still must be worn in buses, trains and other mass transit systems and in “high-risk” areas such as jails, nursing homes and hospitals, according to state rules. Masks must also still be worn in schools until March 12, according to state officials.

Last month, Los Angeles County lifted its outdoor mask mandate for K-12 schools and childcare centers, as well as “mega-events,” such as Super Bowl LVI. (Of course, if you watched the game, you noticed that attendees had already disregarded the requirement.) That same week, California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared the end of the state’s indoor mask mandate for vaccinated individuals, citing the drop in the province’s COVID-19 case rate.

It’s all part of the state’s strategy to shift from the “pandemic” to the “endemic” stage. In order to adjust to the “new normal” of living with the virus, the Newsom administration has announced a variety of initiatives...

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