Outdoor mask mandates to be lifted, indoor mandate under consideration, says Gov. Inslee
Outdoor mask mandates in the state of Washington will be lifted later this month, Gov. Jay Inslee announced Wednesday.
Washingtonians will no longer be required to wear masks outdoors around large groups starting Feb. 18.
Regardless of vaccination status, the current mask mandates state that individuals over the age of 5 must wear a mask at events with 500 or more people, at places such as outdoor concert or sports venues.
Although lifting all indoor mandates is still being discussed, Inslee said the state will follow the CDC guidelines and science for now, until a date can be decided. He expects to have a date by next Thursday.
“Today is not the day to lift all of the masking requirements,” Inslee said. “We are obviously having conversations and an intensive review of what day it will be and when we can do this. It is no longer a matter of if, it is a question of when.”
But caution is still advised, he said.
Lacy Fehrenbach, deputy secretary for COVID-19 response at the Washington Department of Health, joined Inslee for the briefing. The governor said the decision was made because of decreasing case numbers of the coronavirus in the state, as well as declining numbers of patients in hospitals.
Because of steep declines in virus rates in other states and countries, the governor said the state has “confidence” that Washington will follow the trend. But he said he prefers a state approach to analyzing COVID-19 data to make informed decisions.
“As we move forward, we are not going to desert each other,” Inslee said. “We are not going to be stampeded by any political force, we will not be stampeded with other states, what they might do. We are going to make decisions for the public health of Washingtonians, based on the science in our state.”
The announcement comes in the same week that multiple other states, including New York, Delaware and Oregon, have lifted their indoor mask restrictions. Some states, including Alabama, Missouri and Georgia, never required masks for residents.
State Superintendent Chris Reykdal also released a statement Wednesday saying he believes it is time to “move from a pandemic response to an endemic system of readiness.”
“As part of the transition from pandemic to endemic, I believe it is safe and timely to eliminate the statewide masking requirement for students and allow for a decision by local health officials,” Reykdal said. “I recommend the Governor and Department of Health change the guidance to reflect this in the coming weeks.”
Reykdal noted in the statement, too, that he believes local governments have enough resources to make their own determinations.
“The tools to combat this virus today are dramatically better than the tools we had two years ago,” he said. “I encourage every student and school employee to get their vaccination and booster to lower the risk of the virus. My recommendation today reflects my belief that the benefits of making this change outweigh the ongoing impacts on the learning environment as well as the challenges of maintaining a fixed statewide policy.”
For now, masks are still required he schools, he added.
Inslee and former Secretary of Health John Wiesman announced the state’s mask mandates in June 2020. The governor has been heavily criticized for imposing the mandates statewide, which some deemed as too overreaching and restrictive. Numerous protests have occurred at the state capitol as a result.
Last month, the Washington National Guard was activated to assist at multiple hospitals around the state with surging omicron variant cases. Members were tasked with basic duties in hospitals as well as assisting with COVID-19 testing sites. National Guard Members will soon be relieved, Inslee said.
This story was originally published February 9, 2022 at 2:55 PM with the headline "Outdoor mask mandates to be lifted, indoor mandate under consideration, says Gov. Inslee."
