The end of Washington’s mask mandate is a welcome development. But it should not be conflated with the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.
At midnight Friday night, the state’s requirement for masks in public places will end. Many of us will take advantage on Saturday, eschewing face coverings while going shopping or watching a movie at a theater or working out at the gym.
The sense of freedom and the ability to breathe a little easier will be pleasurable.
Others, however, will continue to mask up. In densely packed crowds, that might make sense. COVID-19 is still with us and, for example, the mosh pit at a concert might not be the place to forego all precautions. Even in less-crowded situations, those who are immunocompromised likely will err on the side of safety for themselves and those around them.
The end of the indoor mask mandate — which also occurs Saturday in Oregon — is not universal. Masks still will be required at medical facilities, long-term care facilities and on public transit.
Equally important, business operators retain the right to require masks. If you are asked to don a face covering, don’t make a scene; put one on or politely leave the facility. Belligerence need not be a hallmark of freedom.
The end of the mandate is, indeed, a turning point in our communal efforts to slow the spread of the disease, and it follows the most recent recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But COVID-19 infection rates remain higher than at many points in our two-year struggle, and state health secretary Dr. Umair Shah reminded the public last week that the pandemic is not over.
“This is not a time to throw caution to the wind,” Shah said. He added that it also is not time to throw away your masks or burn them in a ceremonial purge: “There may be a time when you do need it.” State government may reinstitute a mandate if a surge of infections occurs.
While the mask mandate is ending, Gov. Jay Inslee has opted to keep an emergency order in place. As long as that continues, he notes, employers may not require employees to remove masks.
The desire, of course, is to recapture some sense of normalcy. But a complete return to our pre-COVID lives is never going to happen. We have been altered by the pandemic, as have our social interactions. Seeing masks in public will remain common; handshakes will remain less frequent; and our attention to personal hygiene and public health will be forever heightened.
If any good can come out of the pandemic, it might be increased attention to the benefits of a robust public health system. Prior to COVID, then-President Donald Trump disbanded the National Security Council office charged with preparing for a pandemic, and he slashed staffing at a CDC agency operating inside China, where COVID-19 originated.
Added to years of cuts to public health funding, those decisions helped slow the United States’ response to the virus. More than 960,000 U.S. deaths have been attributed to coronavirus, and the pandemic has reminded us of the reasons behind funding for public health initiatives.
None of this reflection should be regarded a signal that the pandemic is nearing an end. COVID-19 and its ever-mutating variants likely will endure; the hope, thanks to vaccines, is that we can manage it.
But the end of a mask mandate in Washington represents a step into an era of the new normal.
