Mixed reactions as Washington plans to ease mask restrictions

Reactions are mixed following this week’s announcement that pandemic restrictions will ease in Washington state in the coming weeks.

Governor Jay Inslee announced Thursday that statewide indoor masking requirements will end on March 21.

Masks will still be required in some settings after that date, including healthcare facilities, long term care settings, and jails. Federal rules also still require masks on public transit.

But face coverings will no longer be mandated at the state level at a long list of indoor spaces like schools, childcare facilities, grocery stores, bars, restaurants, churches, and gyms.

RELATED: Washington's indoor mask mandate ends in March

Speaking at a press conference Thursday, Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal said the announcement doesn’t signal an end to the pandemic, but it does add some flexibility.

Once the statewide mandate lifts, local jurisdictions will be able to make their own decisions about masking.

“At this point it really is important that it come back to locals to make some determinations,” Reykdal said.

A statement from Seattle Public Schools (SPS) said the district would continue to look to local public health experts for guidance.

For now, the statement said SPS would continue with the current policy requiring masking for all students, staff and visitors both indoors and outdoors at district buildings.

“Future decisions on mask use within the district will be made in partnership with public health, and new policy implementation will be established after consultation and mutually agreed upon guidelines that are reached through bargaining with our labor partners,” the statement said.

As of Thursday, Public Health – Seattle & King County hadn’t given a concrete answer about whether masks will still be required in King County come March 21.

A statement said the county will continue to evaluate the appropriate time to lift the local indoor mask order.

“If cases and hospitalizations continue to fall and our hospitals recover and stabilize, as we all hope they will, it is reasonable that we will be at a place to lift the local indoor mask mandate, but we are not there yet,” the statement said.

“Public Health will keep watching the numbers closely and will reassess in the coming weeks. Until then, we need to continue to use multiple layers of protection, including wearing high-quality, well-fitting masks while Covid-19 continues to spread at high levels.”

Governor Jay Inslee acknowledged Thursday that some people in the state will think he’s moving too quickly, and others may think he’s moving too slowly.

Indeed, some Republican representatives in the state Legislature said they want to see the mandates lifted now, not in several weeks.

And despite a question mark over if, and when, masking will become optional in Seattle schools, parents gave mixed reactions to Inslee’s announcement.

“I’m very happy to see the governor setting a date to lift the mask mandate, and I’m saying this as a scientist, a liberal, and a mother,” Kerry Bubb said via email. Bubb has a child in 11th grade at an SPS school.

Bubb raised concerns about the psychological impact of masking for kids and said she’d like to see a focus on things like vaccination. Some other parents have also expressed frustration with masking rules in online discussions, saying it’s tough on their kids.

Dionne Malatesta, parent to a 6th grader, was pleased to see Inslee didn’t immediately remove the mask mandate, and that emphasis was placed on protecting those who wish to continue masking. But Malatesta still has concerns.

“I am concerned that young children will not be able to be vaccinated prior to the lifting of the mask mandate and would have preferred that we waited to lift the mandate until then,” Malatesta said via email.

Concerns have also been raised about individuals who are particularly vulnerable, like those who are immunocompromised, or have underlying health conditions.

Jamie Clausen said she feels March is too soon to stop masking in schools. Clausen said her 7th grade daughter is very Covid conscious because she doesn’t want to infect others and many of her friends have siblings too young for the vaccines.

If masking is lifted for Seattle schools, Clausen said she and her daughter will have a conversation. But she anticipates her child would likely continue wearing a mask, at least in the short term.

“She’s a teenager and if no one in the school is wearing them I don’t know that she’s going to want to be one of the last 10 kids wearing a mask when everyone else has them off. But I think as long as it’s in the realm of what’s normal and acceptable to teachers and to her classmates she’s probably going to opt to wear them,” Clausen said.

In response to the announcement Thursday, the Washington Education Association (WEA) said in a statement that the group has supported following the advice of public health experts throughout the pandemic, and is pleased districts will have time to plan.

“We call on the Legislature to create an adequate leave pool for those who may become ill or have to quarantine, and we ask our communities to continue taking every reasonable Covid precaution to help sustain unmasked teaching and learning,” the statement said.

As the state looks towards a new chapter in the pandemic officials stressed that it's still important for people to protect themselves, including through vaccination. Vaccination rates among children in Washington lag behind the rates among adults.

According to the state department of health, roughly 28% of kids aged five to 11 are fully vaccinated, and just over 50% of kids aged 12 to 15 have completed their initial vaccine series. For 16- to 17-year-olds it’s about 60%.

Jen Balkus is an assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the UW School of Public Health. She said she appreciates the governor’s clear communication about the data-driven rationale to end mask mandates for businesses. Inslee said Thursday that hospitalizations need to be at a manageable level to lift mask requirements and projections show the state should reach such levels by March 21.

But Balkus said low statewide vaccination rates in kids gives her pause when it comes to making masks optional in schools and childcare facilities.

“Even with continued progress in [Washington], the decision to end the mask mandate for K-12 schools feels premature and should similarly be tied to childhood vaccinations rates as well as community transmission and hospitalization,” Balkus said in an email.

As the omicron surge eases, cases and hospitalizations are falling across the state. But they still remain above peak levels seen in fall of 2021, according to the state’s Covid-19 data dashboard.

As recently as last week, some healthcare workers said they thought it was too soon to be talking about lifting mask mandates indoors.

In response to the news that Washington would be easing mask restrictions in the coming weeks, the Washington State Hospital Association said in a statement that the mask mandate has been an important tool in slowing the spread of the virus and reducing hospitalizations.

“Even though the governor is ending the mask mandate, we strongly encourage Washingtonians to continue wearing masks in indoor spaces,” the statement said.

Officials stressed Thursday that just because the state will no longer require individuals to mask in indoor public settings in March it doesn’t mean masks aren’t recommended.