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The Snohomish Health District issued a directive for our residents to wear masks again in indoor public settings in order to curb “alarming” growth in COVID-19 cases, a virtual press conference was told Tuesday.
A new mask directive goes into effect on Thursday, August 12, and applies to everybody age 5 and up.
The delta variant of the virus that causes COVID is spreading rapidly, with new cases up nearly 400% since July 1, said Dr. Chris Spitters, Health Officer for the Snohomish Health District. That level of infection – roughly 280 new cases per 100,000 people – exceeds the Centers for Disease Control’s threshold for designating high-transmission counties.
Hospitals are again seeing a spike in COVID patients, with the worst symptoms roughly 10 times more common among unvaccinated people, the press conference was told. As of Tuesday morning, there were 62 hospitalized COVID patients in the county, including four on ventilators, triple the number compared to July 24.
“Intensive care units in the county are operating at 90% capacity or higher, leaving little room for additional COVID or non-COVID care,” Dr. Spitters added.
Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers said that getting vaccinated remains the best path to slow the spread of COVID and to limit individual risk of severe illness.
“If you want to live, you should get vaccinated,” he said.
To date, 69% of eligible people in the county have at least initiated vaccination, but that is only about half of the total population.
“We still have nearly a quarter million individuals over 12 years not yet having started vaccination, along with the 125,000 children under 12” who aren’t yet eligible, Dr. Spitters said.
Until more people are vaccinated, requiring everyone to mask up indoors is the best strategy for slowing COVID’s spread, the press conference was told.
The mask directive applies to indoor spaces that are open to the public, including retail, grocery stores, government buildings, and other businesses and places where members of the public can enter freely. It does not apply to indoor non-public spaces, including businesses, offices, and other places of employment with limited access. Employers in those settings should continue to follow current guidance and requirements from the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries on worker safety.
For more information on the mask directive, see the full press release.
“Please, wear a mask in public settings, get vaccinated if you haven’t already, and encourage or help others to get vaccinated, too,” Dr. Spitters told the press conference. “COVID is still with us and we need your help to get it back under control.”
Watch a video of the full briefing: https://youtu.be/TvQJTSMXp20
Given the increase in COVID cases and hospitalizations, Dr. Spitters issued a masking directive today. This directive goes into effect in Snohomish County on Thursday, August 12. For more details, please see the press release.
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Gov. Jay Inslee on Monday announced a requirement for most state workers, and on-site contractors and volunteers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment. State employees and workers in private health care and long-term care settings will have until October 18 to be fully vaccinated.
The requirement applies to state workers, regardless of teleworking status. This applies to executive cabinet agencies, but the governor encouraged all others such as higher education, local governments, the legislative branch, other statewide elected officials and organizations in the private sector to do the same.
“It is the mission of public servants and those providing health care to serve our fellow Washingtonians. These workers live in every community in our state, working together and with the public every day to deliver services,” Inslee said. “We have a duty to protect them from the virus, they have the right to be protected, and the communities they serve and live in deserve protection as well.”
The governor made the announcement at a press conference on Monday at Kaiser Permanente in Seattle. He was joined by Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, King County Executive Dow Constantine, Kaiser Permanente Washington President Susan Mullaney, Washington State Secretary of Health Dr. Umair Shah, and Seattle-King County Public Health Officer Dr. Jeffrey Duchin.
The City of Seattle and King County also announced a COVID-19 vaccination requirement for their employees. Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers told reporters Tuesday that his office is studying the governor’s order and weighing options.
The announcements come as Washington is experiencing a severe increase in COVID cases and hospitalizations in every county, due to the Delta variant, with the overwhelming majority of cases and hospitalizations being among unvaccinated Washingtonians.
This new state requirement includes well-defined exemptions to the vaccine. Individuals with legitimate medical reasons or sincerely held religious reasons will be exempt. The exemptions do not include personal or philosophical objections.
Employees who refuse to be vaccinated will be subject to dismissal from employment for failing to meet legal job qualifications. The state will work with labor organizations on meeting collective bargaining obligations and adhering to civil service rules.
Additional information:
Read the full press release here.
 Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers and Snohomish Health District Health Officer Dr. Chris Spitters provide updates on the ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvQJTSMXp20
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