Effective Friday, June 26
— from Governor Jay Inslee’s Office —
Gov. Jay Inslee and Secretary of Health John Wiesman today announced a statewide mandatory face covering order that will take effect Friday, June 26.
The order comes after a Saturday announcement of a mandatory mask proclamation for Yakima County starting this week. The order was in response to reports of increasing case counts and a potential overwhelming of the county’s health care system.
After subsequent reports of cases increasing in additional counties, the governor and Wiesman extended the face covering requirement today to include the entire state of Washington.
“As necessary economic activity increases and more people are out in their communities, it is imperative that we adopt further measures to protect all of us,” Inslee said during a press conference Tuesday. “Until a vaccine or cure is developed, this is going to be one of our best defenses.”
Starting Friday, every Washingtonian must wear a facial covering when in a public space, as mandated by the public health order signed by Wiesman. This includes both indoor and outdoor public spaces.
“The science is clear that when we use face coverings, we limit the spread of droplets being passed on to others when we talk, cough or sneeze. While some of us are wearing face coverings in public, we must increase usage to best control the virus. Washington’s strategy to restart the economy and get people back to work will only be successful if, together, we act safely and follow health recommendations,” Wiesman said.
Read the full story on the governor’s Medium page.
**If you are reading theOrcasonian for free, thank your fellow islanders. If you would like to support theOrcasonian CLICK HERE to set your modestly-priced, voluntary subscription. Otherwise, no worries; we’re happy to share with you.**
This latest public safety measure is akin to our madatory seatbelt (click-it or ticket) and motorcycle helmet laws. For me it’s a no brainer. I support it.
A bit of a “duh” moment. It was obvious that a mandatory requirement was needed so this is a step forward but it is really only a guidance note unless there is enforcement.
If the police did not write tickets do you really think the more reckless portion of the population would care about the speed limits? Dangerous driving (like speeding) kills which is why there is enforcement. COVID-19 kills and yet there is no apparent intent to enforce the state-wide requirement.
Yes all faces should be covered at all times. A bit late in my opinion but better late than never. If we look around the world at the places doing the best job controlling the spread, they all wear masks all the time. Its the only way to move forward.
Thank you inslee
so if you are walking down a country road or a county road and there is no one in sight, let alone 6 feet away from you or closer, you are mandated to wear a mask no matter what?
I admire Gov. Inslee – he is in a tough spot and I know he is just trying to protect us all. But wouldn’t it be more effective to do hub mapping, in terms of where/how the virus is coming in, and stop the inflow of people who might be actively contagious? Like find out who’s running illegal vacation rentals, for instance? Or not opening up ports to leisure travel in and out of the country?
You can’t legislate intelligence or carelessness or stupidity in terms of people’s actions; people are going to do what they do and with few cops on duty on Orcas at any one time, how is this going to be enforced?
As far as Sadie’s question about walking down a country road, I read the original state Emergency rule and what it actually says is that masks need not be worn outdoors unless 6 feet of social distancing cannot be observed. Exercising solo is also mentioned as an exception.
What exactly do illegal vacation rentals have to do with identifying potentially contagious travelers? This is a separate and unrelated political issue. The number of tourists entering for legitimate purposes is possibly multiples of those being housed at illegal rentals. Let’s keep the vacation rental issue for a separate discussion.
The language below from the governor’s daily bulletin today addresses Sadie’s question about walking alone in the country. The mandate applies to “anyone outdoors and unable to keep six feet away from others not in their households.” So it’s good to have a mask with you while walking and just put it on when you encounter others close by.
Paula, you said, “What exactly do illegal vacation rentals have to do with identifying potentially contagious travelers? This is a separate and unrelated political issue.”
There is nothing political about one’s concern over the potential numbers of visitors arriving here during a growing world-wide health pandemic in a county so ill-equipped to handle an outbreak involving a highly transmissible disease that has no treatment or cure.
You said, “The number of tourists entering for legitimate purposes is possibly multiples of those being housed at illegal rentals”.
Possibly, there are a lot of visitors here for legitimate purposes. That’s problem enough in the minds of many. The county has found several hundred out-of-compliance vacation rentals, but nobody is sure about how many illegal rentals there actually are.
You said, “Let’s keep the vacation rental issue for a separate discussion.”
People have been telling us to keep vacation rentals, tourism, and growth related issues aside for another discussion, for another time… for decades. The relationship between the number of visitors coming here, and both the legal and illegal lodging industry is clear, and is of great concern to many during the pandemic. It’s worthy of mention in this conversation.