Inslee recommends wearing masks indoors
By Dan Thesman on Wednesday, July 28th, 2021 in Columbia Basin Top Stories
OLYMPIA – Governor Jay Inslee announced Wednesday that Washington state will continue requiring all students and employees of K-12 schools wear masks when school resumes this fall.
According to Inslee, by continuing the state’s existing school guidance, it matches with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s masking guidance for the upcoming school year in K-12.
Inslee also said the state will follow federal guidance and recommend people wear a mask in public indoor settings in areas were there is a worrying rate of COVID-19, including people who are fully vaccinated.
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, according to Inslee’s office.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention amended its mask guidelines which now recommends that even vaccinated people return to wearing them indoors as parts of the U.S. sees infection numbers rise due to the delta variant of the coronavirus.
