NEWS: COVID-19 UPDATE: Masking Guidelines as of Feb. 28

February 28, 2022

Governor Jay Inslee announced at 1:00 pm this afternoon that the statewide mask mandate will be lifted at 11:59pm on March 11. Washington coordinated this change in conjunction with California and Oregon.

DETAILS:

This includes all K-12 schools (additional guidance for education will be announced next week). Individual employers will be allowed to make their own decisions and are not compelled to follow mask mandate. Masks will still be required in health care, long-term care, and correction facilities. The state will protect the right for anyone who wants to wear masks to continue to do so.

RATIONALE FOR LIFTING MANDATE:

• Washington state’s data has posted a drop in deaths, and lower hospital rates and disease transmissions.
• The CDC has updated their masking guidelines based on the threat to hospitals and increased cases causing hospitalization.
• State public health officials will continue to watch for other variances.
• Mask mandates could be re-imposed in the future if conditions change.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO CASCADIA:

The executive team will discuss the topic at Wednesday’s e-team. Before making a decision about how to proceed, we will be gathering feedback and/or information from:

• The faculty union representatives
• Classified union representatives
• Exempt employee representatives
• Student government leaders
• UWB
• SBCTC institutions
• K-12 schools in our district

Follow our COVID-19 page for updates.