California County Reinstates Mask Mandate and Pushes COVID Shots Despite Federal Pullback

Just when Americans thought the pandemic theater was finally over, one wealthy California county is dragging it back onto center stage.

Sonoma County, nestled in the heart of California wine country, has just reinstated an annual mask mandate for healthcare settings and is ramping up COVID-19 vaccine recommendations in direct contradiction to new, scaled-back guidance from the federal government.

The new order, issued by Interim Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith, mandates masks for anyone entering nursing homes, dialysis centers, infusion clinics, and other healthcare facilities from November 1 through March 31 every year until further notice.

Yes, you read that correctly every year.

“The rationale behind this order is to protect the most vulnerable populations… and to try to prevent medical staff from getting sick,” a county spokesperson told Fox News.

Here’s what Sonoma’s updated COVID order demands:

• Acceptable face coverings include KN95, KF94, N95, or surgical masks cloth masks, scarves, and other face coverings are explicitly banned.

• The mandate includes nursing homes, rehab centers, and infusion clinics and can be expanded further by the health officer at any time.

• The order runs through 2026, and is intended to become an annual winter mandate.

The policy was issued alongside updated vaccine guidance urging every person aged 6 months and up to get the COVID-19 and flu shot advice that flies in the face of new federal recommendations.

Just this week, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), backed by the CDC, walked back universal COVID vaccine guidance. Adults 65 and older are no longer broadly recommended to get vaccinated, and those aged 6 months to 64 are told to consult their doctors first before deciding.

This marks a sharp turn toward individualized healthcare a move focused on science, safety, and informed consent. But Sonoma County? They're sticking with the same tired script that failed Americans for the better part of three years.

These aren’t science-based precautions they’re political gestures wrapped in bureaucratic overreach.

The order reads like it was written in 2020 not in the aftermath of widespread vaccine failures, skyrocketing mental health issues, learning loss, and the erosion of basic civil liberties. Americans have moved on but the Left refuses to let go.

What’s more, the return of mandates in elite blue enclaves like Sonoma isn’t just tone-deaf it’s dangerous. It signals that Democrats are more than willing to impose permanent medical restrictions on the public, no matter what the science or the Constitution says.

With the 2024 election on the horizon, moves like these should serve as a warning to voters across the country: The people who shut down your schools, your businesses, and your freedom are ready to do it all over again.

Don’t be surprised if this “health order” becomes the model for more mandates in liberal strongholds just in time for the next election season.

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