New mask mandate at California Capitol is smart. Requiring vaccines would be even better

Face coverings are back on at the California State Capitol after a coronavirus outbreak prompted administrative officials to reimpose a mandatory mask rule. With the growing threat of the Delta variant and breakthrough infections becoming more common for those who are vaccinated, the return of masks at the Capitol is an ominous sign we must take seriously.

Twenty-four states have seen at least a 10% uptick in COVID-19 cases over the past week. In Sacramento, the curve is bending upward again. The seven-day average rose to 110 new cases on Monday after recording double-digit lows last month that we hadn’t seen in a year.

While breakthrough cases are much less severe, 47% of Sacramento County residents remain unvaccinated. Nationally, that population now accounts for virtually all COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths, White House officials said on Thursday.

This is not the time to let our guard down or leave our masks at home. Life-saving vaccines are abundant, but less than half of Sacramento residents have received both doses. That’s pathetic. The pandemic is very much alive throughout the world, and countries are desperate for vaccines that many in our community have been reluctant to get, or refuse altogether. We have to do better.

If Sacramento does not make meaningful gains on vaccinations, COVID-19 will continue seizing on the absence of mask mandates and swaths of the public lacking immunity. That means highly-transmissible mutations like the Delta variant will keep spreading, and eventually find people who haven’t been vaccinated.

It’s time to do something bold and different, and public workers can lead the way. San Francisco has required its 35,000 employees to get vaccinated or risk losing their job if they don’t have a valid exemption. Capitol staffers and the city of Sacramento’s nearly 6,000 employees must adopt the same policy.

While the revived mask mandate is a good step for the Capitol, it falls short of utilizing the most effective tool we have to keep COVID at bay. Masks were our best defense before the vaccine. Now that we have them, it’s time to force the issue.

Throughout the pandemic, bitter partisan debate over civil liberties and the spread of misinformation compromised the health and safety of our communities. Vaccines have consistently been proven safe and highly-effective, and are universally supported by experts. If we truly believe in science and facts more than tribalists with agendas, there is no justifiable reason not to mandate COVID vaccinations the same way we do for polio, chicken pox or measles.

Unions are welcome to bemoan the policy or protest on privacy grounds, but if they truly care about protecting their workers, this should be an easy decision. The Sacramento City Council and state Legislature should act swiftly and adopt the rules for their employees.

If the city and Capitol set a strong example, other employers in Sacramento might be more willing to issue similar policies within their ranks, especially as more offices come back to life. That bodes well for the health of our community and increases the likelihood that we can safely remain open.

Tiptoeing around personal choices in a nation rife with toxic partisanship led us here, where herd immunity is no longer possible nationwide and vaccine interest has plateaued — despite watching 604,000 of our fellow citizens die from COVID.

Sacramento needs to join the growing list of success stories. San Jose has gotten at least one dose to 85% of its population. Orange County has done the same for 70%. Experts say Dallas County has reached herd immunity, and states such as Vermont, Massachusetts and Hawaii are also nearing the milestone.

Capitol and city of Sacramento employees can set the tone for our region. If 75% of San Franciscans can get fully-vaccinated, why can’t we?