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Alameda County issued a new mask mandate in most indoor public settings, effective Friday, as coronavirus cases climb.

The county, home to Oakland, is the San Francisco Bay Area’s second-most populous. Alameda County’s move represents the first time a California county has issued a mask mandate since the winter Omicron surge faded.

The order does not apply to K-12 school settings through the end of the school year, nor does it apply to Berkeley, which is in Alameda County but has its own public health department. Berkeley’s K-12 public school system, however, has already implemented an indoor mask mandate.

Officials are deciding how best to respond now that COVID-19 cases are rapidly rising after plunging in the spring.

“Rising COVID cases in Alameda County are now leading to more people being hospitalized, and today’s action reflects the seriousness of the moment,” Dr. Nicholas Moss, Alameda County’s health officer, said in a statement.

“We cannot ignore the data, and we can’t predict when this wave may end. Putting our masks back on gives us the best opportunity to limit the impact of a prolonged wave on our communities.”

Alameda County has one of California’s highest coronavirus transmission rates, reporting about 354 cases a week for every 100,000 residents for the past week. That figure has climbed 20% from mid-May. A rate of 100 cases a week or more for every 100,000 residents is considered high.

The rate of new weekly hospitalizations jumped significantly in the last week. Alameda County is now reporting 9.3 new weekly coronavirus-positive hospitalizations for every 100,000 residents, up 26% from the previous week. That’s close to the threshold of 10 new weekly coronavirus-positive hospitalizations for every 100,000 residents, which would place Alameda County in a high COVID-19 community level as defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC recommends that people in counties in the high COVID-19 community level practice universal masking in indoor public areas. A high COVID-19 community level is an indication of possible strain on the hospital system.

The reinstatement of the mask order in Alameda County comes as coronavirus cases in Southern California also continue to climb and cause disruptions.

“If we continue on the current trajectory, we could find that cases and hospitalizations end up exerting stress on our healthcare system within just a few weeks,” Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said during a recent briefing.