State Health Dept.: Reopening does not mean pandemic is over or risk of COVID-19 is gone

||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH |||

OLYMPIA – As Washington state reopens for business and recreation today, the Department of Health (DOH) is encouraging people to keep doing their part to stop the spread of COVID-19. Reopening does not mean the pandemic is over or that the risk of COVID-19 is gone.

The Secretary of Health’s mask order remains in place. If you are unvaccinated:

• Continue wearing masks when indoors in public places.
• Keep washing your hands and watching your distance.
• Enable WA Notify for completely private exposure notifications and get tested if you have COVID-19 symptoms.

As businesses begin to resume normal operations, these precautions will be needed more than ever to help protect people who are not vaccinated, including children who are not yet eligible.

People who are vaccinated can return to their regular lives for the most part, with a few exceptions like limits on large-scale events and mask requirements in some high-risk settings. Most sectors can operate as they did in January 2020, as long as they follow workplace safety requirements from the Department of Labor & Industries. However, counties and businesses can have more protective requirements and DOH urges people to respect the rules of the room they’re in.

DOH urges people to respect the rules of the room they’re in.

While the state has made tremendous progress on vaccination, more than 35% of people 12 and older in the state have not yet gotten their first dose. DOH is continuing to see outbreaks in areas and settings where vaccination rates are lower. If you have been waiting to get vaccinated, now is the time. Vaccination is the best way to protect yourself, your loved ones and everyone around you. If you are already vaccinated, you can help by encouraging people you know to get their vaccine.