Washington state recommends wearing masks indoors

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Gov. Jay Inslee says Washington state will follow federal guidance and recommend that people wear a mask in public indoor settings in areas where there is a worrying rate of COVID-19 - including people who are fully vaccinated.

At a news conference Wednesday Inslee also said the state will continue to require that all students and employees of K-12 schools wear masks when instruction resumes for the upcoming school year.

Inslee’s office said the masking guidance for the general public indoors in places with a substantial or high COVID rate is a recommendation only, but the school masking requirement is state law.

“This is a legal requirement, not up to the option of the local jurisdictions.” Inslee’s office said.

As cases continue to rise across the country, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed course Tuesday on some masking guidelines, recommending that even vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where the delta variant of the coronavirus is fueling infection surges.

Health officials in more than a half-dozen western Washington counties were already recommending mask-wearing in indoor public spaces regardless of vaccine status because of a rise in COVID-19 cases and the highly infectious delta variant.

Public Health Seattle & King County officials said on Monday in a joint statement with the counties that local health officers from around the Puget Sound region were joining together in the recommendation after King County health officer, Dr. Jeff Duchin, issued the guidance on Friday.

Officials in Pierce, Snohomish, Kitsap, Clallam, Jefferson, San Juan and Grays Harbor counties joined King in the recommendation.