California and San Francisco should "immediately" lift mask mandates for vaccinated people, according to a UCSF expert.

After the CDC announced Thursday that individuals fully vaccinated against COVID-19 no longer need to wear masks or practice physical distancing in most settings, UCSF's Dr. Monica Gandhi — a leading COVID-19 expert — called on officials in California and San Francisco to ease mask mandates to align with the new CDC guidance.

"There is immense collateral damage that comes from not easing restrictions after most people are vaccinated," Gandhi said Friday. "It sends a message that there’s still a danger when there isn't one, and then schools remain closed and businesses suffer. Some collateral damage from restrictions needed to occur when we didn’t have vaccines, but now that we have them, there's no justification."

Gandhi cited the fact that California has one of the highest vaccination rates and lowest case rates in the country as evidence the state can loosen restrictions.

On Thursday, state officials said they were "studying" the new CDC guidance, with Gov. Gavin Newsom said new guidelines could come as soon as Friday. Other Democrat-led states that took similarly cautious approaches to pandemic such as Illinois and Oregon have since lifted their mask mandates for vaccinated individuals to align with the CDC.

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