Gov. Inslee issues new mask mandate for outdoor gatherings of more than 500 people in Washington

Washington residents ages 5 and up must wear a mask — regardless of vaccination status — in outdoor gatherings of more than 500 people, Gov. Jay Inslee announced Thursday.

The order goes into effect Monday, Sept. 13.

"For anyone wondering why we're doing this, it should be pretty obvious — it's because we're seeing evidence of transmission in outdoor settings," Inslee said at a news conference on Thursday. "If you combine large crowds with the Delta variant without any mitigations in place, we're going to keep getting superspreader events." 

The statewide order is similar to outdoor mask measures adopted recently by Washington’s two most populous counties — King and Pierce — which went into effect Tuesday.

The governor’s announcement comes as COVID-19 cases are surging across the state. Washington is currently reporting more than 3,300 new cases per day. State officials say the spike is fueled by the highly transmissible Delta variant of the coronavirus, which is twice as contagious as previous strains and is ripping through unvaccinated communities across Washington.

On Wednesday alone, the state saw 4,200 positive tests, 252 hospital admissions and 59 deaths, Inslee said. 

"We've got to understand how severe this is," he said. "More people die of COVID every three days than died on September 11th in the terrorist attacks. This is not a time for little, tiny baby steps." 

The state has already seen the consequences of letting individuals gather for large outdoor events without rigid COVID restrictions in place.

Last month, roughly 28,000 people packed into the Gorge Amphitheatre in Grant County for the Watershed Music Festival. In the following days, county health officials reported at least 230 people tested positive for the virus after attending the three-day country music event. Guests were not required to show proof of vaccination to enter, and mask wearing was encouraged.  

State Secretary of Health Umair Shah said there have been five outdoor "superspreader" events during the last six weeks in Washington. He said those events led to infections in more than 500 people. 

Thursday’s move by the governor’s office marks another landmark step in the state’s fight against the Delta variant. Last month, Inslee made vaccination a condition of employment for hundreds of thousands of state employees and workers in Washington’s K-12 schools, universities, colleges, childcare centers and private-sector health care facilities. He also brought back the statewide indoor mask mandate that he abolished earlier this year.

It's not uncommon for the state to announce COVID measures similar to ones first implemented by individual counties. Jefferson and Clallam counties now require proof of vaccination to enter bars and restaurants, and King County announced Tuesday that is was working on a potential plan to have some non-essential businesses implement vaccine verification requirements.

When answering a question about the King County plan, the governor said statewide verification requirements are something his office is considering.

"We're seeing if we can make it easier for [King County] businesses to fulfill that decision, either because they want to or because it's mandated by the state," he said. "And that is something that is under consideration."