COVID Worries: Back to Masking?
A key metric used by Gov. Jay Inslee to determine whether to lift the statewide mask mandate in March has been surpassed by the recent spike in COVID infections. This begs the question – will we see a return to the mask mandate?
People in six Washington counties must resume wearing masks indoors in public and on public transportation, according to recommendations from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The latest information from the CDC shows that Lewis County, Pacific County, Thurston County, Grays Harbor County, Garfield County and Spokane County have community levels of COVID-19 rated as “high,” meaning they have had 200 or more new cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 people in the past seven days or had more than 20 new hospital admissions with COVID-19 per 100,000 people within a seven-day period.
KOIN-TV reported that the counties ranged from 418 cases per 100,000 people in Pacific County to 207 cases per 100,000 people in Spokane County.
These community levels were calculated on June 23rd.
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The CDC said anyone at risk of severe illness in those six counties should consider taking extra precautions beyond simply wearing a mask, such as staying 6 feet away from others, avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces, and often hand washing.
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