Honor system key to dropping mask requirement

The mask sign was gone from the door of the Judicial & Law Enforcement Building on Monday for the first time in more than a year. Only the defendants were wearing masks after the state lifted the mask mandate for those who have been fully vaccinated in accordance with last week’s guidance by the Centers of Disease Control. On Monday, Douglas County School District issued its new mask guidelines. Masks are not required for students 9 years old or younger. Those students 16 and older and staff, who have been fully vaccinated, are also not required to wear masks. However, middle school students between those ages have yet to be fully vaccinated. A student has to be 12 or older to be eligible for the vaccine, and that become possible until May 13, so it will be the end of the school year, at least, before they even get their second dose. Douglas County is experiencing an average of five new cases per day, according to the state. The state web site indicates that 47.2 percent of Douglas County residents over the age of 12 have initiated the two-dose vaccination process with 41.58 percent completing it. On Tuesday, CalMatters reported that neighboring Alpine County’s vaccinations efforts was just a percent off achieving community or herd immunity. According to Health Officer Dr. Richard O. Johnson, California’s most sparsely populated county is at 69 percent vaccination for residents 16 and older, nearing the 70 percent threshold. Many of the county’s employees live in Nevada and commute to work. On Monday evening, Johnson discussed how the new federal mask requirements affect California. He said that nothing in either federal or state guidelines have changed for people who have yet to be vaccinated. But he acknowledged that short of the CDC card issued to those who have been vaccinated, there really isn’t any way to prove it. “You are on the honor system,” he said. “Should you mask up? Maybe. Not everyone should take their masks off. It is up to you, and it depends on which rules apply.” In Nevada, residents may choose not to wear a mask in public, while in California the CDC’s masking rules aren’t expected to take effect until June 15. “Do you have choices?” he said. “Absolutely — be honest with your self. Take your health in your own hands and get vaccinated. Mask up when you are required to or are more comfortable doing so.”