Pierce County and Gov. Inslee issued masking policies this week. Which one do I follow?
Pierce County and the Governor’s Office both issued new masking policies this week in an attempt to slow the once-more rapid spread of COVID-19.
The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department issued a “mask directive” on Wednesday that strongly encourages face coverings for all people 5 years and older indoors and outdoors regardless of vaccination status. As of Aug. 18, masks should be worn indoors and outdoors where social distancing is not possible, according to the directive from Pierce’s top health official, Dr. Anthony Chen.
Also Wednesday, Gov. Jay Inslee re-instituted an indoor statewide mask mandate to include vaccinated individuals, which will go into effect Aug. 23.
So what are the differences between the two new policies?
County directive vs. Inslee mandate
Chen said in a Wednesday press conference his directive, which is only in effect until Inslee order kicks in, was not a mandate and emphasized voluntary compliance. The directive does not come with legal penalties, the health department’s Karen Irwin said.
By contrast, Inslee made clear his announcements have legal repercussions.
“I want to make sure people understand this. This proclamation is a legally-binding document,” Inslee said Wednesday.
The state mandate supersedes the county recommendation on its effective date, Aug. 23.
The Washington state Department of Health’s Katie Pope said local governments have the right to make more protective rules on masks, but not less.
“Local rules about masking cannot be more lenient or less protective than the statewide guidance,” Pope said in an email.
The governor said business owners need to follow the mandate.
“Employers will need to comply, shopkeepers will need to comply,” he said on Wednesday. “Business owners now will have a legal obligation in their operations to comply, both to require the use of masks in their businesses and to as appropriate in the vaccination requirement for their employees.”
Tim Church is a spokesperson for the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries. Church said the department would likely continue to investigate violations through complaints filed at coronavirus.wa.gov. If a business falls under the agency’s purview, Church said, staff would contact the business to see if it understands the mask mandate and is following requirements.
“If we get a sense they are not following guidance, we can do a check,” Church said. “If we find that employees are at risk because the requirements are not being followed, we can cite and fine them.”
There have been more than 2,000 COVID-19 related L&I inspections since the pandemic began, and more than 1,000 violations have been found, Church said. Some of the violations were not COVID-19 related.
Where are masks required?
Chen’s directive includes retail, grocery stores, government buildings and other businesses and places where members of the public can enter freely. It does not apply to indoor non-public spaces including businesses, offices, and other places of employment with limited public access.
Inslee’s mandate also applies to restaurants, grocery stores, malls and public offices. Face coverings won’t be required in private offices where individuals are vaccinated. Small, private indoor gatherings where all attendees are vaccinated are also exempt. While not required, the state strongly recommends individuals wear masks in crowded outdoor settings, such as outdoor concerts, fairs and farmers markets.
Why new masking policies?
Cases across the state have soared as Washington grapples with another surge of the Delta variant of the coronavirus.
Washington has broken the previous record for COVID-19 hospitalizations set in December, with 13 percent of all admitted patients reporting COVID-19 symptoms.
In Pierce County, there has been exponential case growth within the last two weeks, more than doubling since early August.
On Aug. 4, the reported COVID-19 case rate was 190.5 per 100,000 over 14 days. On Wednesday, the health department reported 466.3 cases per 100,000 over 14 days.
Inslee has also required all state employees, health care workers and now educators to be vaccinated by Oct. 18 or risk termination.
This story was originally published August 20, 2021 at 10:52 AM.
