Masks are back in style. Here’s how Gig Harbor is preparing for a ‘5th wave’
As concerns rise about the delta variant and a “fifth wave” of COVID-19, Gov. Jay Inslee recommended on Wednesday that Washingtonians wear masks indoors whether vaccinated or not.
He stopped short of making it a mandate, though didn’t rule out a future change.
In Gig Harbor, which reopened its buildings to the public on July 26, the current requirement is that unvaccinated members of the public continue to wear masks. However, the city said they will not be verifying vaccination status of the public to determine whether they need to wear a mask.
Mayor Kit Kuhn had previously said through a spokesperson, who confirmed Wednesday that their rules had not changed, that the city wouldn’t verify vaccination status of the public to encourage individual responsibility.
“We made the call at the Civic Center not to ask for vaccination verification because it’s not the responsibility of city employees at the front desk to handle that volume or topic,” Kuhn said. “That responsibility lies with the citizens.”
The city said it would provide disposable masks to anyone who was unvaccinated and did not have one.
In a statement sent to The Gateway in response to new guidance from the CDC recommending masks in public indoor spaces, Kuhn said they would also continue to follow other precautions.
“We have asked the public who enter the building and are not vaccinated to please wear a mask,” Kuhn said. “There are also other health checks we do as the public or employees enter our buildings, for example a temperature check, and we still encourage social distancing and use of plastic shields to protect personnel.”
Kuhn said the city is aware of employees who are unvaccinated and would require that they wear a mask.
“Several of the recommendations from health officers are directed to those agencies that do not know if someone indoors may be vaccinated,” Kuhn said. “At the City of Gig Harbor, we asked employees if they have been vaccinated. Those who are not have been directed to wear facial masks as we were before we re-opened.”
“We take our public and employees’ health seriously. We are monitoring and keeping apprised of the recommendations of public health officers and feel we are enacting precautions to maintain a healthy work environment.”
In addition to encouraging masks in indoor spaces, Inslee said that all students and staff would be required to wear masks in schools regardless of whether they are vaccinated.
Aimee Gordon, a spokesperson for the Peninsula school district, had previously said in an email that the district “will continue to follow Washington DOH guidance.”
