Rumor

Heard from a friend who "knows somebody" at the state capitol.  The rumor is that next week Newsollini will announce the end of 'rona-restrictions and masking--except at schools.

Update, 2/8/22:  Several hours after I heard the rumor, but before I created this post, it had already been announced:

Vaccinated Californians can ditch their masks indoors soon, the state’s Department of Public Health announced Monday as it lifts restrictions imposed to slow the spread of the omicron variant. 

The state’s mask requirement for vaccinated people in most indoor settings will lift on Feb. 16. The requirement, which began in December as COVID-19 cases climbed, won’t be extended again because infection rates are dropping. 

Unvaccinated people will still be required to wear masks in public indoor settings, as will people living in counties that still have more stringent requirements... 

School mask rules won’t change yet, but the administrative of Gov. Gavin Newsom administration is working on an update to those that the governor will announce soon, chief strategist Anthony York said.

 “We’re looking at our school masking policy and continuing to work with education stakeholders to update our masking requirement and adapt to changing conditions,” York told The Sacramento Bee. “The governor is going to lay out a plan next week.”