Why the masking requirement for the Elk Grove cooling centers but not for other well-attended functions at District 56?

Let me start by saying that along with being updated on COVID vaccines and boosters, I continue to mask in some situations. Specifically when grocery shopping, other shopping venues, where it is required, or situations where common sense dictates.

With the forecasted heatwave, the City of Elk Grove and Cosumnes Community Services scheduled two cooling centers to serve at-risk populations.  The cooling centers will be at Elk Grove’s District56 and Cosumnes Community Services District’s Wackford Center.

A reader pointed out that “Visitors to the cooling center[s] will be required to wear face coverings.”

For the health and safety of the employees staffing the centers and the users, this is reasonable.  People will be indoors and possibly close to one another.

However, the requirement is puzzling, given no such requirement was enforced during Elk Grove’s recent Multi-Cultural Festival held at District 56. While most of the festivities were held outside, there were indoor functions.

Notably, the dance presentations were staged in District56’s main hall.

While there were some people wearing masks at the presentations, most were not. Even though the COIVD virus is waning, the closeness of unmasked could be a perfect spreading event.

Why are cooling center clients being required to mask? Is something inherently contagious about people using the cooling center but not the packed-in-like-sardines audience at the indoor Multi-Cultural dance presentations?

It is worth pondering this requirement from the so-called city of compassion.