OLYMPIA — Washingtonians can ditch face masks in most settings starting Saturday, March 12. That’s nine days earlier than originally planned, Gov. Jay Inslee announced Monday (Feb. 28).<\/p>\n
The move hastens what Inslee described this month as an “enormous step” toward normalcy, as COVID-19 cases continue to fall from this winter’s record-high infections. Inslee was joined by the governors of California and Oregon in choosing March 12 to sunset their respective mask mandates.<\/p>\n
The decision was spurred over the weekend by a major shift in guidance from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a>. Instead of broad masking recommendations based on case counts, the agency is focusing on whether those infections pose a threat to local health care systems.<\/p>\n In low- to medium-risk counties, the CDC said, masks can safely be taken off. As of last week, that includes 30 of Washington’s 39 counties.<\/p>\n King County’s local indoor mask order will end at the same time as the state’s order, and the county will not be extending a local mask order for schools and childcare facilities, according to a statement by Public Health – Seattle & King County. <\/a><\/p>\n “We believe that ending the indoor mask order ten days earlier than the state previously announced will not make a significant difference for our local King County disease trends,” according to the county health department. “King County is now classified at a ‘low COVID-19 community level’ on CDC’s framework.”<\/p>\n