Yesterday, Governor Inslee, joined by Secretary of Health Umair Shah, announced that Washington State is changing masking guidelines, with the removal of indoor mask policies in most establishments, and a move from mask requirements to mask recommendations in schools. This change will occur at 11:59 p.m., on March 11th, and be in full effect on March 12th.
The decision was made following discussions with the state of California and Oregon, as a result of the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) recent updates on mask-wearing standards. The new CDC recommendations, announced February 25th, loosen the COVID-19 guidance on wearing masks indoors. To learn more about this decision, visit the CDC’s Mask Guidance webpage.
King County plans to end the county-wide indoor mask mandate concurrently with the State. According to King County Public Health, the County is classified at a “low COVID-19 community level.” This reference follows a framework provided by the CDC. Stay up-to-date with King County and City COVID-19 transmission levels via the King County COVID-19 Summary Dashboard.
Federal requirements remain in place, which includes mask wearing on public transit. Mask requirements indoors remain also for correctional institutions, long-term care, healthcare and medical facilities.
