By Pepper Fisher
OLYMPIA – Governor Inslee announced Monday that the indoor mask mandate will end at 11:59 on the night of Friday, March 11, 10 days earlier than his previous plan.
With declining Covid case rates and hospitalizations across the west, California, Oregon and Washington are moving together to update their masking guidance. Beginning Saturday, March 12, Washington will move from mask requirements to mask recommendations, including in schools.
County Health Officer Dr. Allison Berry said today that case rates in Clallam County are dropping steadily, with 450 cases per 100,000 in the last 2 weeks. She says we might even hit an acceptable rate by March 12, but we’ll be cutting it close, and she still has concerns that we’re lifting the mandate too early.
“I do think that it will be untenable to maintain a mask mandate for just Jefferson and Clallam Counties for an additional 10 days after the State. So we will plan on lifting our mandate as well. But I do want to strongly encourage our residents to continue to mask in indoor spaces even after the mandate is lifted, because I do think that our case rates are still too high to unmask in indoor spaces together.”
State policies do not change federal requirements, which still include masks on public transit.
Masks will still be required in certain settings including health care, corrections facilities, and long-term care facilities. The Washington State Department of Health will be issuing new guidance for K-12 schools next week so schools can prepare to implement the updated safety protocols.
The Clallam County vaccine mandate for entry into restaurants and bars is still on pace to be lifted March 11th.