Whatcom residents strongly urged to wear masks when out in public, starting Friday
Whatcom County is strongly urging people who go out in public or work together in a shared space to wear a cloth mask starting Friday, May 22, to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
Dr. Greg Stern, Whatcom Health officer, issued the directive about the use of cloth face coverings, joining King County in doing so. King County’s directive, which is voluntary, started Monday, May 18.
Masks, or other face coverings such as scarves and bandannas, are needed because the new coronavirus, which causes COVID-19, spreads easily by respiratory droplets, the Whatcom County Health Department said in a news release on Monday, May 18.
“We do not take these decisions lightly,” Whatcom County Health Director Erika Lautenbach said in a Monday press briefing.
“This is a should rather than a shall. We will not be issuing tickets. We will not be citing people who aren’t wearing a mask,” Lautenbach explained. “We also ask that the public not call 911 or call the health department with complaints about people not wearing masks.”
She described the effort as one of enlisting the help of all of Whatcom County.
The Whatcom County Health Department, at the start of April, recommended that people wear cloth masks when in public. Stern’s directive is another step, although it’s not a mandate.
San Juan County is the only county in the Pacific Northwest that is moving toward requiring people to wear a face covering when going out in public, according to a May 15 story on KUOW.
And while neither Whatcom nor King officials have issued a countywide requirement to wear cloth face coverings in public, there are places in both that do. For example, passengers, visitors and workers at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport must wear face coverings as of Monday, May 18, while Bellingham International Airport issued that mandate last week.
Reasons for the Whatcom County directive, which Lautenbach described as a “very strong recommendation,” include maintaining the gains brought about by the statewide stay-at-home order as well as limiting transmission of the new coronavirus ahead of summer and as more businesses reopen and people return to work under Gov. Jay Inslee’s phased “Safe Start.”
“Most of the measures restricting activities and closing businesses worked by keeping people away from each other and from infected surfaces,” Stern said in the statement. “These measures helped us avoid high levels of COVID-19 disease, hospitalizations and death.”
But it’s not over.
“However, COVID-19 has not gone away. As we loosen restrictions in order to sustain our economy, we risk losing the progress we have already made in controlling the spread,” Stern said.
Lautenbach said that business owners, through the newly launched COVID-19 Employer Task Force, have said that it would be helpful if they could point to Whatcom County Health Department action when asking customers to wear masks.
“We recognize that masks can be uncomfortable, that it’s starting to get warmer,” Lautenbach said.
But 20% to 25% of COVID-19 cases nationwide have been identified in people with no symptoms, according to Lautenbach, adding that people may feel perfectly healthy but be carrying and spreading the virus to others.
Wearing masks
So what’s a public space?
Whatcom County residents should wear masks when in stores that sell food and beverages; in retail stores; in restaurant take-out and food businesses; using public transportation; and in manufacturing, agriculture and construction workplaces, according to the health department.
Masks also should be worn outdoors, such as parks or trails where 6 feet of distance can’t be maintained between people who don’t live in the same household.
Stern’s directive doesn’t apply to everyone.
The groups it doesn’t apply to include: children under 2; children younger than 12 who aren’t being supervised by a parent or caregiver; people who have physical disabilities that make wearing or removing a face covering difficult; those who are deaf and use facial and mouth movements to communicate; people who have been told by a medical professional that they shouldn’t wear a face covering; and those who have trouble breathing or can’t remove a face covering without help.
Face coverings are not a substitute for other measures being taken to reduce the transmission of COVID-19, such as physical distancing, washing hands and sanitizing surfaces frequently, public health officials said.
“Wearing a face covering alone isn’t protection against COVID-19 infection,” Stern said. “People should wear face coverings to help slow the spread of the virus in the community, to protect others. Masks will protect other people from you, and when others cover their faces, they’re doing their part to protect you from them.”
Helping people get masks
Lautenbach said officials want to make sure that getting a face covering isn’t burdensome.
Toward that end, Whatcom Unified Command is working with organizations in the community to assess the need for masks within vulnerable communities and those who face barriers to obtaining them, including people who are homeless, older adults and low-income residents, according to the news release.
Whatcom Unified Command is the multi-governmental agency that’s directing the local pandemic response.
It is working to buy and distribute single-use, non-medical masks to locally owned businesses and local governments as they reopen.
The masks would be for employees and customers. They would be distributed through local Chambers of Commerce or other business organizations.
This story was originally published May 18, 2020 at 1:42 PM with the headline "Whatcom residents strongly urged to wear masks when out in public, starting Friday."
