The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department has extended the order requiring the use of masks indoors.
Everyone, regardless of vaccination status, must wear a face covering when indoors in public settings, with limited exceptions.
The order will be in place until 5 p.m. on Jan. 2, 2022, unless it is extended or rescinded.
County health officials say as of December 1, the community transmission level is categorized as "substantial" by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As of November 26, the county's case rate was 7.0 per 100,000 people and the test positivity rate was 4.0%.
The CDC recommends that fully vaccinated people continue to wear face coverings in public indoor settings in areas with substantial or high community transmission rates.
Health officials say they are considering rescinding the indoor mask mandate if the county's case rate is 7.0 cases per 100,000 people or lower for three consecutive weeks and hospitalizations are low and stable for at least three days.
The current mask mandate was put into place in August and was originally set to expire in September. This is the fourth time it has been extended.
To read the full Health Officer Order mandating indoor mask usage, click here.
For more information on Santa Barbara County's coronavirus response, visit publichealthsbc.org.