Michelle Mello, public health law professor at Stanford University, said the council’s vote is more a question of the city’s role, rather than the role of masks.

“The question they’re trying to answer is, are things bad enough that taking away people’s choices is justified?” Mello told San José Spotlight. “I think it’s a reasonable time to raise that question, but it’s not a message that everyone should whip off their masks and go about their business.”

Mello continued that COVID cases will likely rise with the mask mandate lifted. But she has confidence residents will continue masking, as many have been in neighboring cities that do not require face coverings.

“That is a natural consequence of lifting measures that we know are very effective in containing them,” Mello said. “But we also can’t live under those measures forever.”