OLYMPIA – Under a revised order by Gov. Jay Inslee last Thursday, Sept. 9, residents and visitors are now required to cover their faces when attending outdoor events that attract more than 500 people.
The revised edict applies to sporting events, concerts and fairs.
As of Monday, Sept. 13, face coverings are required of all event-goers, even if they’ve gotten a coronavirus vaccine and a booster.
During the press conference in which he announced the new mandate, the governor also called on more people to get vaccinated against the Wuhan virus.
According to Inslee, a “mask helps everyone.”
The revised order follows a previous order that masks be worn indoors.
Inslee blamed a concert at The Gorge for spreading the virus.
“When you combine large crowds with Delta variant, without any mitigations measures in place, we’re going to keep seeing these super-spreader events,” he said.
But only 200 cases have been traced to the concert; The Gorge has a seating capacity of 27,500 people.
Inslee acknowledged that even with a vaccine, people are getting infected with the virus.
He also blamed Idaho for spreading cases to Eastern Washington.
“I’m asking the people of Idaho to adopt some of the safety measures like we have in Washington,” he said. “Our vaccination efforts are actions of compassion across borders.”
He also blamed local leaders for failing to follow his orders to curtail the spread of the virus.
“We have local leaders sometimes who aren’t looking for answers to this problem, but rather for excuses for inaction,” he said.
Inslee pointed out the difference of vaccination rates across the state.
In Western Washington, he said some counties exceeded 80% vaccination rates, but rates below 50% in Eastern Washington.
In Spokane County, 240,544 residents have been “fully vaccinated” out of an estimated population of 541,188 people, according to the state Department of Health. That’s a vaccination rate of 44.4%.
In neighboring counties, the estimated vaccination rates are 42.6% in Lincoln County, 42.6% in Adams County and 32.5% in Whitman County.
“When you make a decision not to be vaccinated, it is not just about your health,” the governor said. “This is not about you, it is about us. It is about whether or not we will allow you to infect our children and our grandchildren.”
Roger Harnack is the owner/publisher of Free Press Publishing. Having grown up Benton City, Roger is an award-winning journalist, columnist, photographer, editor and publisher. He's one of only two editorial/commentary writers from Washington state to ever receive the international Golden Quill. Roger is dedicated to the preservation of local media, and the voice it retains for Eastern Washington.
Reader Comments(0)