COVID-19: Inslee announces mandatory face mask rule for Washington state

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Faced with a recent uptick in confirmed COVID-19 cases in certain parts of the state, Gov. Jay Inslee announced Tuesday that the state is imposing a mandatory requirement that people wear masks when they are outside their homes as officials struggle to contain the virus.

The governor said the new mandate, which he reiterated is a "legal requirement," will go into effect on Friday, June 26 and will apply statewide to individuals and businesses.

"I think this is something we can get used to," Inslee said. "Because we care about others around us."

The announcement by the governor came just a few days after King County, which has been the epicenter of the COVID-19 crisis in the state, officially moved to phase 2 as part of the governor's plan to restart the state's economy.

But Yakima County has increasingly been the focus of efforts to contain coronavirus.

Inslee said Yakima County is now out of hospital beds to treat coronavirus patients because of the surge in the number of patients who have been diagnosed with it. And the Yakima Health District said Tuesday that the county's healthcare system was exceeding capacity due to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, and that hospitals were running out of beds.

There, the mask requirements are even stricter, as all businesses must require customers to wear masks and may not serve anyone without a mask, with limited exceptions, according to Inslee's office.

Inslee said not wearing a facial covering would amount to a misdemeanor crime.

The governor said there are exemptions to the facial covering rule, including:

• People who can't wear masks because of existing medical conditions.
• Children 5 years old and younger.
• People who are deaf or need to have their mouth uncovered in order to communicate.
• When it is onerous to do so, including customers who are eating out at a restaurant.

During his news conference, Inslee said the number of infections appears to be rising as the state has allowed more counties to reopen, and he said masks and social distancing have been the only initiatives that have been shown to limit the spread of COVID-19.

Inslee said it is likely that the face mask rule would remain in place until a vaccine is found or some other development significantly changes the equation.

Inslee was joined during his news conference by Secretary of Health John Wiesman and Craig Jelinek, the CEO of Costco, which has implemented a similar rule for its employees and customers.

"I think it's the only way to go," Jelinek said, adding that his retailer has seen positive results since imposing a face mask requirement. "I support this decision 100 percent."