Workers will be required to wear masks to protect others from COVID-19 starting June 8

As Washington state defends against a possible rebound in COVID-19 cases, workers who interact with customers and other workers will be required to wear facial coverings, starting June 8, Gov. Jay Inslee said Friday.

The requirement to wear a non-medical mask such as one made of cloth is waived if employees are working alone in an office, vehicle, or job site, or if they don’t have “in-person interactions” such as being regularly within 6 feet of customers, for example.

The wearing of masks is needed because as the reopening of Washington’s economy reduces social distancing, other tools are needed, Inslee said.

“We have now shown that facial coverings can be very effective in protecting the other person. When I wear it, it can protect you. … When we do an individual small thing, it can have a huge impact on another person’s life, namely that they don’t become infected,” Inslee said at Friday press conference.

Referring to COVID-19, the governor said: “This thing can increase dramatically, very rapidly and you’re seeing that in various places around the world right now.”

The governor said employers must provide facial coverings. Workers can use their own as long as they meet certain standards. The state can cite and fine a business if it doesn’t follow the guidance on face coverings, said Tim Church, a spokesman for the state Department of Labor & Industries.

Stores also will be required to display signs with the message “Please wear a face covering, help stop the spread.”

“That is a legal requirement if they are going to reopen,” Inslee said. “There is an order if you will, but this is a matter of common sense, commitment and compassion. ... We think we’re going to get large compliance with this because it just makes sense, and we know it’s working and it is becoming culturally kind of the norm.”

The Olympian reported that starting Thursday, Thurston County residents were required to wear masks in some public settings under a directive issued by Acting Health Officer Dr. Diana Yu. The county said law enforcement would not enforce the rule.

Individuals are required to wear face coverings over their noses and mouths in indoor or outdoor public settings where they can’t maintain about 6 feet of space from another individual who doesn’t live in the same household. The main exception is if people are eating or drinking.

Dr. John B. Lynch is medical director of the Infectious Diseases Clinic at the Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. He took part in Inslee’s press conference on Friday via video conference.

Lynch said the need for people to wear facial coverings stems from what health officials have learned about the new coronavirus over the past several months.

“We have learned that a lot of people have minimal symptoms and are infected and can transmit the virus. People have talked about this idea of asymptomatic cases. It’s still out as to whether people are asymptomatic during the entire duration of their infection or it’s really just before they develop symptoms.

“But in either case, those people have no symptoms right now and they may be able to spread the virus and they don’t know it. The same thing happens with influenza. This is not unique to this particular virus. So putting a mask on people all the time — regardless of symptoms — helps potentially interrupt that chain,” Lynch said.

Lynch said masks with multiple layers of cloth that can be made at home or purchased are effective, but they need to stay above your nose and below your chin.

“And they really want to be quite snug. We don’t want floppy masks on folks because that doesn’t work nearly as well. We want to wash our hands before or after we put them on and take them off so those masks stay clean,” he said.

Lynch also said there are people who cannot wear masks, such as some with certain disabilities; children, especially those under the age of 2; and those with specific health concerns.

This story was originally published May 29, 2020 at 6:28 PM.