As state mask mandate about to end, CDC says Whatcom’s COVID community level remains ‘low’

With Washington state’s indoor masking mandate only hours away from ending on Saturday, March 12, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Whatcom County’s COVID-19 community level remained “low.”

The CDC began ranking the level of COVID-19 threat on a county-by-county basis and providing guidelines for each of three levels two weeks ago, updating rankings on Thursday evenings. Though Whatcom started in the “medium” level on Feb. 24, it dropped to the “low” ranking last week, and the newest rankings released Thursday, March 10, show the county remained there.

“Keep in mind that a ‘low’ community level doesn’t mean that COVID-19 is over for good,” the Whatcom County Health Department said in a Facebook post Thursday. “There will still be outbreaks in places like schools that will require testing, masking, and isolation, so be prepared for that possibility. “Like an umbrella or warm coat that we bring out in bad weather, masks will be a part of our lives when infections are on the rise.”