Mask Directive Issued For Pierce County

TACOMA, WA — Pierce County residents will be asked to wear masks in public spaces, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department said.

Dr. Anthony L-T Chen, the department's director, on Wednesday issued a countywide mask directive asking everyone five years old and older to wear a facial covering in public spaces like:

• Retail and grocery stores.
• Government buildings.
• Businesses and places where members of the public can enter freely.

Meanwhile, the state's mask order still requires masks in health care and child care facilities, schools, camps, correctional facilities and prisons, homeless shelters and while riding public transportation.

Chen's request is not a legal requirement, though the governor's mandate, issued later the same day, is and asks roughly the same things of Pierce County residents.

Pierce County's new directive does not apply to "non-public spaces" like offices with limited access. However, employers are asked to keep current with Washington State Department of Labor and Industries regulations regarding masking and social distancing.

Notably, the directive asks that residents wear masks regardless of if they've been vaccinated or not. The health department says that's what it's going to take to reduce the incoming wave of new COVID-19 transmissions.

“Masking will reduce the risk of contracting COVID-19 for everyone, including customers, workers and children under 12 who cannot get vaccinated,” Dr. Chen said in a written statement. “I strongly urge everyone in Pierce County to follow this directive and to get vaccinated. We must use all the tools we have to keep our community safe.”

According to the latest available data from the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, the county's 14-day case for July 28 - Aug. 8 was 434.6 COVID-19 cases per every 100,000 residents — potentially the highest case rate the county has ever seen.

While the health department hopes that the mask directive will help curb the tide of COVID-19 infections, they say that increasing vaccination will be the county's best hope at slowing the spread. Currently, around 53.2 percent of Pierce County residents 12 and older are fully vaccinated. The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department continues to host vaccination clinics on a weekly basis, and is urging anyone who remains unvaccinated to come down and get a free shot.