California's Marin County reinstates mask mandates in hospitals during virus season

Northern California's Marin County is requiring people in hospitals and healthcare facilities to wear a mask through March to prevent the spread of viruses such as the flu and COVID-19. 

All hospital staff, patients and visitors will be required to wear them until what is historically considered the end of the country's virus season.  

"The intent of the order is to protect individuals in these high-risk healthcare settings and limit the spread of seasonal respiratory viruses including RSV, influenza, and COVID-19," the county website reads.

Children under 6 years old and those with specific medical conditions are exempt from this mandate.

The county's public health office has also put out a list of what it considers at-risk people for which it recommends wearing a mask. Among those on the list are people with respiratory problems and those who work at work sites that contain "frequent exposures to respiratory viruses."