Three weeks after King County dropped its masking directive, the county health officer again recommends all people wear masks in indoor public spaces.
SEATTLE — King County’s health officer is once again recommending all people wear masks in indoor public settings to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Dr. Jeff Duchin made the recommendation Friday during a media update on COVID-19 trends saying it was “an extra layer of protection to help us all stay safer.”
“I know this is frustrating and disappointing to many,” said Duchin. “It certainly is to me. I didn’t want to be in this position. And I acknowledge that the change in communication has been a real problem nationally.”
The announcement comes three weeks after King County dropped its masking directive and the county passed the 70% threshold of fully vaccinated residents.
Since the end of June, King County has followed Washington state’s masking guidance, which says people who are not fully vaccinated should continue wearing masks in indoor settings, but everyone should mask up in high-risk crowded areas, like medical facilities, public transit and schools.
With the increasing spread of the delta variant, Duchin was prompted to encourage even vaccinated people to mask up again.
COVID-19 case rates are increasing in King County, and Duchin said that’s largely due to the delta variant and other variants of concern. Delta variant prevalence is at 56% in King County and has increased since masking guidance was loosened, according to Duchin.
About 700,000 people remain unvaccinated in King County in addition to tens of thousands of people who are immunocompromised and may not fully respond to vaccines, according to Duchin.
“What this means are there are plenty of susceptible people that are vulnerable to a COVID-19 surge driven by the delta virus,” said Duchin.
Duchin argued the delta variant increases risk for everyone but masking would help reduce risk.
Duchin cited a recent study from the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation that says universal masking in Washington could prevent 540-880 deaths in the state by Nov. 1 if it started next week.
During a separate briefing Friday, Dr. Scott Lindquist, Washington State Department of Health acting chief science officer, said universal masking “is exactly what we are discussing right now,” but added that “Washington state isn’t all King County” and he feels comfortable with local health officials making their own masking decisions at this time.
“There are some counties that really have not had cases,” explained Lindquist. “So, that seems a bit extreme for those local health officers and their elected officials. So, you know, where we’re at now is I’m comfortable with the local ability to be more stringent than the state.”
Lindquist also reminded the public that unvaccinated Washingtonians are still required to wear a mask in public.
“Don’t forget, the state still has a requirement, so not a recommendation, but a requirement for masking if you’re not vaccinated,” he said. “So, that doesn’t change.”