Time to mask up: Here’s what the new mask directive means in Pierce County
After weeks of growing COVID-19 case numbers, the leader of the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department on Wednesday issued a mask directive for the county.
Director Dr. Anthony Chen announced Wednesday that a countywide mask directive was in effect. That means everyone 5 years and older in Pierce County should wear a face covering “both indoors in public and outdoors where physical distancing is not possible regardless of vaccination status.”
The directive notes, “Children age two, three, or four years old, while exempt from this official directive, are also recommended to wear a face covering with the assistance and close supervision of an adult in accordance with the current Order of the Washington State Secretary of Health.”
The directive applies in any place open to the public, including retail, grocery stores, government building, and any business or place where members of the public can enter freely, according to the health department’s announcement.
“It does not apply to non-public spaces, including businesses, offices, and other places of employment with limited access. Employers should continue to follow current guidance and requirements from the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries on worker safety,” the announcement said.
“Masking will reduce the risk of contracting COVID-19 for everyone, including customers, workers and children under 12 who cannot get vaccinated,” Chen said in a statement. “I strongly urge everyone in Pierce County to follow this directive and to get vaccinated. We must use all the tools we have to keep our community safe.”
In the directive, Chen emphasized voluntary compliance.
At a Wednesday briefing with reporters, he noted that the directive “is not a health order. It does not carry legal penalties. We trust that Pierce County residents will do the right thing.”
Gov. Jay Inslee later Wednesday announced that the existing statewide mask mandate would be expanded to again include vaccinated individuals in indoor settings starting Aug. 23, with limited exceptions. He emphasized the state mandate is legally binding.
Thurston County issued its own mask directive last week; Snohomish County also has issued a similar directive.
Over the weekend and through Monday, more than 1,000 new cases were reported by the health department in Pierce County. So far this week, five new deaths have been reported, with ages spanning from a Spanaway man in his 30s reported Monday to two individuals in their 80s from Central Pierce County and Bonney Lake in deaths reported Tuesday.
Other deaths reported Tuesday involved a Parkland woman in her 60s and a Central Pierce County man in his 50s.
The directive follows two previous recommendations signed on to by Chen regarding masks for all in indoor public spaces, not just those unvaccinated. The first was issued by a group of health directors from eight counties seeing elevated cases in late July; the second one was issued by health directors across all counties last week.
At the end of June, when it appeared the pandemic was losing steam, state Secretary of Health Dr. Umair Shah amended the state’s mask order, limiting it to those unvaccinated or not yet fully vaccinated, and in certain settings, such as schools and health care sites.
At the time state DOH noted, “Local authorities and businesses may adopt more protective masking requirements, which is why our message is to ‘respect the rules of the room you’re in.’”
Soon after, many public spaces such as retailer sites made masks optional for customers. A return to pre-pandemic times for many coincided with the rise of the Delta variant in the area, later to be described by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as contagious as chickenpox and more transmissable than the common cold.
The wave of new cases, fueled by the Delta variant has continued to gain steam and add to pressures on an already exhausted health care system. Area hospitals as of last week were starting to cancel and/or reschedule non-emergency surgeries to make way for the rising numbers of COVID patients.
After the directive was issued, Chen spoke with reporters to offer additional details about Wednesday’s action and what motivated it.
“It’s not just the Pierce County problem. It is a problem that we are all having to work through together. And we don’t want to end up like Florida or Texas where cases are just going berserk. I mean, Texas requesting mortuary trucks from the federal government,” he said. “We don’t want to get anywhere close to that.”
Chen said, “This morning one of our hospital systems, MultiCare Health System, shared with me that about 162 COVID-19 patients in their Pierce County hospitals — only four are vaccinated.
“Today the 14-day hospital average in Pierce County is 9.1 per 100,000. The hospitals are full,” he added.
Chen reiterated that beyond masks, vaccines were still a critical part of bringing case numbers down.
“Before we talk too much about getting a third booster shot, only 47 percent of all Pierce County residents are fully vaccinated,” he said. Noting an estimated 470,000 still unvaccinated in the county, he added: “Let’s make sure that we at least get those people started.”
This story was originally published August 18, 2021 at 11:17 AM.
