More people need to wear face coverings in public, state says

Washington state officials on Monday urged people to wear masks or face coverings when they’re in public, expressing concern that counties might not be able to move forward – and could fall backwards – under Gov. Jay Inslee’s four-phase plan to reopen the rest of the state’s economy.

The state controlled the spread of COVID-19 by social distancing, the stay-at-home order, handwashing, masks and face coverings, said Dr. Scott Lindquist, state epidemiologist for communicable diseases in the state Department of Health.

But as more businesses and activities reopen, that progress is in jeopardy, he said at a press briefing.

“You want a haircut? Wear a mask. You are not going to enjoy these freedoms in our phases until we can demonstrate that we can control this. I hope we do not go backwards, but that is a concern,” Lindquist said.

Barber shops and hair salons open in Phase 2 of the plan. Franklin, Benton, and Yakima are the only counties in still in Phase 1. Three counties are in a modified version of phase 1 that includes some activities in phase 2, 22 counties are in Phase 2 including Pierce, Thurston and Whatcom; and 11 counties are in Phase 3.

Officials stopped short of saying that the wearing of masks or face coverings by people in public should be mandatory. On June 8, a statewide requirement took effect that workers who interact with customers and other workers must wear face coverings.

“If you mask up in the workplace but people don’t mask up when they’re out shopping ... then we’re really not doing everything we can to stop community spread,” said Anne Soiza, an assistant director in the state Department of Labor & Industries.

There had been 26,158 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Washington and 1,221 deaths as of Monday, according to data from the state Department of Health.

Lindquist and other state officials made their comments two days after the health department released a report showing that COVID-19 transmission continued to increase in eastern Washington as of the end of May, with a possible uptick in western Washington as well.

In western Washington, the state has high COVID-19 case rates in fish processing plants and on fishing vessels, Lindquist said. Counties in eastern Washington with high case rates include Yakima and Franklin, which both have extensive agricultural businesses.

“As we have these hotspots and we are removing community measures, that’s a real concern and it’s really the time to double down on handwashing, disinfection of common spaces, maintaining a greater than 6-foot distancing and face coverings or face masks,” Lindquist said.

The Yakima Health District issued a directive that took effect June 3 that county residents must wear a face covering while at any indoor or outdoor public space where people may be within 6 feet of someone who does not live with them.

“A directive is not an order and there are no criminal, civil or financial penalties associated with failure to comply,” according to the health district’s website.

In response to a question about whether wearing masks or face coverings in public should be mandatory, Lilian Bravo of the Yakima Health District said officials wanted to focus first on educating people why they should be worn. She said it’s been successful so far.

“We have seen a significant increase in people wearing masks,” said Bravo, who is the district’s director of public health partnerships.

Soiza, the assistant director at L&I, encouraged Washington residents to rally around agricultural workers -- who are considered essential workers -- just like they rallied around health care workers.

“Even though they might be protected in the workplace, people are not at the workplace seven days a week. We need to mask up to protect them so they can continue to provide the necessary food for all of us,” she said.

Lindquist agreed, adding: “Everybody is eating cherries right now, right? They’re aren’t coming from a machine. They are actually harvested in agricultural communities.”

This story was originally published June 15, 2020 at 6:04 PM with the headline "More people need to wear face coverings in public, state says."