Washington’s governor urges the vaccinated to wear masks indoors in certain counties, won’t impose new mandates

Washington will follow current federal guidance for the use of facial coverings amid the COVID-19 pandemic uptick, but won’t impose new masking requirements, Gov. Jay Inslee announced Wednesday.

But as virus cases again begin to rise, Inslee in a news conference said fully vaccinated people should consider wearing a mask in public indoor spaces in counties deemed to have substantial or high transmission of the virus, such as Yakima, Douglas and Snohomish.

The announcement follows new guidelines released Tuesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That guidance urged vaccinated Americans to wear facial coverings indoors in certain circumstances, such as in public spaces.

In a news conference Wednesday morning, Inslee also reiterated that all K-12 students and school employees will be required to wear masks around each other inside their buildings.