BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Many people still have questions after Washington’s statewide mask mandate ended on Saturday, March 12th.
Whatcom County co-health officers answer some of them in a video released by the county health department.
Dr. Greg Thompson says he’s comfortable with the decision to lift the requirement.
“Our cases are at a level that is lower than we’ve seen since July of last year. And our hospitalization rate is also lower than we’ve seen since the very beginning of the Delta surge last year,” said Thompson. “So, we’re now at the point.”
Dr. Amy Harley says schools are an area of concern.
“We are closely monitoring the situation in schools and working hard along with the schools in Whatcom County to watch for outbreaks or clusters of infection,” said Harley. “And we’ll respond with interventions to mitigate any transmission that we see occurring in schools.”
Another question that’s been raised is: will mask and other mandates return if there’s another surge of infections?
Dr. Thompson says he expects there would be a call to voluntarily wear masks or take other measures, rather than requirements.
You can find more information on the County’s website and watch the full video below.