OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Gov. Jay Inslee has announced that the statewide indoor mask mandate, one of the few left in the country, will end on March 21, including at schools and child care facilities.
And starting on March 1, vaccine verification or proof of a negative test will no longer be required for large events.
Masks will still be required in health care settings and at long-term care facilities and prisons and jails.
Private businesses and local governments that want to require masks for employees, customers or residents can still require them.
Inslee says projections of a steady decline in both cases and hospitalizations will allow the move.
He had previously announced that the mask rule for large outdoor gatherings will end on Friday, February 18.