Fully vaccinated? You should still mask up says King County official

King County’s public health agency is asking for voluntary compliance with a directive to keep masking up in indoor public spaces like grocery stores and restaurants.

That’s despite last week’s guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that it’s safe for those who are fully vaccinated to take their masks off.

King County public health officer Dr. Jeff Duchin said he agrees with the CDC that the vaccine provides excellent protection from contracting and transmitting the coronavirus, as well as from severe disease. However, he added, Covid rates are still high in the county, and not everyone has had the chance to get vaccinated yet.

“Please let’s everyone continue wearing masks, because we know it’s so hard to differentiate between who is and who’s not vaccinated,” Duchin said.

“Some people who are not vaccinated may find it stigmatizing to put a mask on if others aren’t wearing masks,” he added, so allowing those who are vaccinated to take off their masks would inevitably lead to unvaccinated people spending time together, unmasked, in indoor spaces, potentially transmitting the coronavirus.

Duchin added that wearing masks until Covid transmission in the county is minimal will help protect the vulnerable, such as those who haven’t had an opportunity to get vaccinated yet, those who are too young to get the vaccine, and those who have compromised immune systems and don’t have protective antibodies even though they’ve had the vaccine.

It’s unclear how much impact the voluntary directive will have on the ground.

Since Governor Jay Inslee announced that Washington would be following the CDC's new guidance, some businesses have kept their mask rules in place, while others have lifted restrictions for those who are vaccinated.

But a lot of people have just kept covering their faces in indoor public spaces regardless.

“I’ve heard from many that people are continuing to mask,” Duchin said. “I’ve heard from others that several local businesses immediately removed their ‘Masks Required’ signs and let their employees unmask. So it’s been a mix.”

“But I would say in general that people are happy to continue to wear masks for a few more weeks,” he concluded.

Duchin said this mask directive lifts when at least 70 percent of King County residents 16 years or older are fully vaccinated. Currently, that number’s closer to 55.

Duchin is expecting the county to meet that goal by June 30.