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While school is out for summer, many of you are hard at work preparing for a safe return for the 2021-2022 school year. Keep these updates handy for planning and keep an eye out for additional changes.
County metrics
On July 22, our 14-day case rate per 100,000 is 93.9. The 14-day case rate offers the most reliable look at COVID-19 disease burden on Pierce County. The case rate in Pierce County—along with the rest of the state and country—is increasing. We don’t yet know how high it will climb, but we can predict it will be more than 100 per 100,000 by the end of July. People under the age of 20 currently make up about 16.1% of our cases.
Our county-wide hospitalization rate is 3.1 per 100,000. Hospitalization among fully vaccinated people is extremely low. We haven’t seen an increase in hospitalization among people under the age of 20.
Although about 62% of people 16 or older received at least 1 dose of COVID-19 vaccine, only 36.7% of children age 12-17 are vaccinated. Of those, about 81% are fully vaccinated.
On June 30, Washington fully reopened under the Washington Ready plan. This allows most businesses to fully reopen. Schools still must follow specific requirements from DOH.
Updated guidance
On July 6, DOH updated K-12 COVID-19 Requirements for Summer 2021 and the 2021-2022 School Year to reflect the amended Secretary of Health’s Mask Order. This allows everyone to remove their face coverings when outdoors, regardless of vaccination status. DOH strongly recommends face coverings in crowded outdoor spaces. DOH requires face coverings for everyone indoors in schools.
Schools that offer overnight camps must follow Overnight Group Summer Camps and Similar Activities COVID-19 Requirements, last updated June 21.
On July 7, L&I revised DOSH Directives 1.70 and 11.80. L&I still requires face coverings in K-12 schools when students are present. When students are not present, fully vaccinated staff don’t have to wear face coverings if their employer verifies vaccination status. Read more about these requirements in L&I Requirements and Guidance for Preventing COVID-19. We expect an update to Employer Health and Safety Requirements for School Scenarios soon.
New guidance
On July 2, DOH released Sports and Fitness Guidance During COVID-19. This guidance document replaces Sporting Activities COVID-19 Requirements from the governor’s office. Key changes in the new guidance:
- Sports are classified by contact (low, moderate or high) and location (indoors vs. outdoors), which dictate face covering use and testing recommendations.
- Face coverings aren’t required outdoors. Face coverings aren’t required indoors for low or moderate contact sports when participants are actively training or competing. Face covering use must resume when students aren’t at play.
- Screening testing is recommended on a once weekly or twice weekly basis for some moderate and high contact sports.
Need a quick reference guide for mask use? Use these helpful documents:
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