King County ends COVID-19 mask directive ahead of Washington's full reopening

Just one day before all COVID-19 economic restrictions in Washington are set to lift, fully vaccinated people in King County can now ditch their face masks in most public spaces.

King County lifted its local mask directive on Tuesday, now adopting state-level mask guidance in line with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which said that fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks in both indoor and outdoor settings. Unvaccinated people are still required to wear masks indoors and adequately social distance, according to state guidelines.

The county directive, which "strongly urged" the continued use of face masks in indoor public settings, was issued in late May even as cases were declining in the state. Businesses were asked to voluntarily comply with the directive until King County reached a 70% vaccination rate. That threshold was hit on June 15, but the directive was kept in place until Tuesday as it takes two weeks for the immune system to fully respond to the vaccine.

The latest data from the county's COVID-19 dashboard shows that 79.2% of residents have received one dose of the vaccine, while 73.1% are considered fully vaccinated, having received one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine or two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.

"Thanks to highly effective COVID-19 vaccines and decreasing rates of disease in our community at this time, vaccinated people are no longer directed to wear masks in most indoor public settings but may choose to do so at their discretion," said King County Public Health Officer Dr. Jeff Duchin in a news release. "People who are unvaccinated are at increased risk for COVID-19 along with people who do not respond to vaccine because they are immunocompromised due to underlying medical conditions. The best protection for both individuals and the community as a whole will be through more of us continuing to be vaccinated."

However, individual businesses like grocery stores may still have mask requirements, and masks are also still required on public transportation and at the airport. State Secretary of Health Umair Shah has been asking people to "respect the rules of the room" they are in and mask up if required.

"The key message is that fully vaccinated people do not need to wear masks in most situations," said Shah. "If you're vaccinated, you're protected. But if you are unvaccinated, you are not protected, and you should and you have to keep wearing your mask."

Despite the encouraging milestone, health officials are advising that residents do not throw away their masks just yet, as they may be needed again if there is another surge in cases.