Indoor mask mandates in most businesses and public spaces, including schools, in Washington will be lifted at 11:59 p.m. March 11, Gov. Jay Inslee said in a press conference this afternoon.
He also gave notice of a plan to deal with the next surge in cases, should one emerge. Details on that plan will be released later this week or early next.
The timeline for lifting the mask mandate, moved up from March 21, was prompted by declining case rates and hospitalizations in the state. The shift comes after the CDC released new guidelines on mask-wearing on Friday.
The new guidance offers a simple guide based on three COVID risk levels: low, medium or high. The CDC assigns a level to each county using a combination of hospitalization data and new case rates in that community. As more people are vaccinated or acquire natural immunity from a previous infection with the virus, that region will move into the medium and low risk levels, and mask restrictions can be eased.
“We want to give people a break from things like mask wearing when our levels are low, and then have the ability to reach for them again should things get worse in the future,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said in a press conference on Friday.
Though some counties in Washington remain in the high-risk category, Inslee said he believes the state will be moving toward medium and low levels by March 12, the effective date of the eased requirement.
“We are turning a page in our fight against the COVID virus,” Inslee said in the press conference. “This page will be based more on empowering individuals and families in protecting themselves rather than based on government restrictions.”
Masks will still be required in health care settings, correctional facilities, and long-term care centers. Businesses have the right to determine if they still want to require masks in their building, and individual families can decide if they would like to keep wearing masks in public. Inslee said he wants to protect the rights of people who choose to continue wearing masks, especially students in schools who might be singled out for doing so.
“It’s changing to not a requirement, but still a recommendation,” said Dana Smith, assistant director of communications for Bellingham Public Schools. “We will probably still have some people who choose to wear a mask or face covering when they’re at work or at school, and that will be their choice and we will honor that choice.”
The Washington State Department of Health will release additional guidance for schools early next week.
Restaurants will be among the entities where masks will no longer be required indoors by state law. Tam Bratt, a manager at Soy House, said she’s indifferent about the mandate.
“We have customers who are ready to let go of the mask and some who are not ready,” she said. “I’m just kind of in-between.”
Others, such as Finneas Hampton, front-of-house support at Black Sheep, are approaching the change with cautious optimism.
“I’m excited about not wearing masks, but I also want people to be safe,” she said.
With the end of mask mandates in sight, some wonder what will happen when the next variant emerges. Inslee said the plan for dealing with the next surge will put an emphasis on vaccination, adequate medical care and sufficient PPE for health care workers.
“Our genotyping and genome sequencing in the state of Washington is strong, and we want to continue to emphasize that we’re monitoring (for variants),” said Secretary of Health Umair A. Shah, who joined Inslee during the conference. “But still, people should be vaccinated and that’s an important piece of protection for them, as well, as we move forward.”
When the disease burden becomes overwhelming, Inslee said restrictions might need to be implemented again.
“But I hope that that day does not happen,” he said.
