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Fully vaccinated Californians can shed face masks in most settings starting June 15

People wearing face masks at Santa Monica Pier on June 26, 2020 in Santa Monica. (FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)

Californians who are fully vaccinated for COVID-19 will be able to shed their face masks in most situations starting next week, state officials confirmed Wednesday.

The long-teased change will take effect Tuesday, the same date as California’s planned full economic reopening, and finally bring the nation’s most-populous state into alignment with nearly month-old COVID-19 guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In short, Californians who are two weeks removed from their last vaccine dose will be allowed to go mask-free in nearly all settings, with some exceptions that include transit hubs or aboard public transportation; in healthcare settings and long-term care facilities; indoors at K-12 schools, childcare facilities or other youth settings; in homeless shelters, emergency shelters and cooling centers; and in correctional facilities and detention centers.

Unvaccinated individuals, on the other hand, will still be required to mask up in public indoor settings — including restaurants when not eating or drinking, retail stores and movie theaters.

Read the full story on LATimes.com.