King County Lifts Mask Mandate, With Washington Poised To Reopen

KING COUNTY, WA — King County officially lifted its indoor mask directive Tuesday, two weeks after officials announced the county had crossed the 70 percent threshold for residents with their full course of COVID-19 immunizations. Dr. Jeff Duchin, the county's health officer, reinstated the directive on May 20, applying to fully vaccinated and unvaccinated people alike, as an added safety measure until vaccination rates reached the target.

Since then, another 200,000 residents 16 and older completed vaccination, along with nearly 115,000 people who got their first doses. Waiting an extra two weeks to lift the mandate, Duchin said, allowed most recent people to be vaccinated to reach the full protection level. On Tuesday, the health officer also noted further declines in new COVID-19 infections, with case rates down 69 percent.

"Thanks to highly effective COVID-19 vaccines and decreasing rates of disease in our community at this time, vaccinated people are no longer directed to wear maks in most indoor public settings but may choose to do so at their discretion," Duchin said.

Now, King County will be under the broader mask guidelines from the state and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The guidance allows for fully vaccinated people to go maskless in most scenarios, but face coverings are still required on public transportation, planes, ships, ferries, trains, taxis, and ride-shares. Other exceptions include health care settings, long-term care facilities, correctional facilities and schools. Businesses also retain the authority to voluntarily require masks for employees and customers.

Here are a few key things to keep in mind, from Public Health - Seattle & King County:

• Vaccinated people no longer need to wear a mask in most public settings but may choose to do so based on personal considerations.
• Everyone, vaccinated or not, should continue to keep a mask with them when they go out. Masks will be needed in some indoor spaces.
• People who are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated must continue to wear face coverings when they enter indoor public spaces, according to state guidance. This helps protect not only adults who are unvaccinated, particularly as more contagious variants are spreading, but also children and those with medical conditions that prevent them from getting vaccinated or from being fully protected by vaccines.
• Businesses are allowed to request or require their customers and employees to wear masks regardless of vaccination status.
• If there is a surge in COVID-19, masks will be an important tool. Don't throw away those masks!

Even with full vaccination rates now above 73 percent for those 16 and older, health officials say there's still room for that number to grow and further increase community protection. At the same time, the risk for unvaccinated or immunocompromised people remains high, especially as more infectious variants become more dominant.

Duchin writes:

"We are in a much better place today, but the course of the COVID-19 outbreak remains unpredictable, and we continue to depend on one another for community protection, including through vaccination as well as mask-wearing. People who are unvaccinated are at increased risk for COVID-19 along with people who do not respond to vaccine because they are immunocompromised due to underlying medical conditions. The best protection for both individuals and the community as a whole will be through more of us continuing to be vaccinated."

King County's mask changes came one day before Washington's official reopening date, June 30, which will see the vast majority of pandemic-related restrictions ease, including the 50 percent capacity cap on many indoor venues. Some limits will remain in place, including a 75 percent limit for large venues hosting entertainment events with more than 10,000 attendees.