It looks like Nevada County has no intention of making its own mask mandate. As of May 16, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s mask guidance is that fully vaccinated people “can resume activities without wearing a mask or physically distancing, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance.” Asked whether county officials had any plans to set more restrictive guidelines than those dictated by the state, Nevada County Director of Public Health Jill Blake said last week that this was not the case. Blake explained that, while local health jurisdictions are able to set stricter guidelines than the state, the decision to do so cannot be “arbitrary,” and must instead be based on indicators such as a surge in COVID-19 related hospitalizations or other risk factors — a situation she said Nevada County was not in.