California regulators withdraw controversial work mask rules

California’s workplace regulators have reversed themselves for the second time in a week

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- California’s workplace regulators have reversed themselves for the second time in a week. They withdrew a controversial, pending mask regulation late Wednesday. That will give them time to consider a rule that more closely aligns with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s promise that the state will fully reopen from the pandemic on Tuesday. The California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board’s revised rule would have allowed workers to forego masks only if every employee in a room is fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. That contrasts with the state’s broader plan to do away with virtually all masking requirements for vaccinated people in concert with the latest recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.