Secretary of Health Mask Order to End April 3

Effective April 3, the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) will end the Secretary of Health Statewide Face Covering Order currently in effect for health care (including dental), long-term care, and adult correctional facilities. This means that individuals will no longer be required to wear face coverings when they are indoors in the aforementioned settings.

The order will remain in place until 11:59 PM on April 2, although local or tribal governments, facilities, and providers may choose to continue to require masks in these or other settings.

DOH infection prevention and control guidance continues to recommend masks for patients, health care providers, and visitors in health care settings. Licensed health care facilities are required to have infection prevention policies and programs consistent with CDC guidance.

Several worker protection requirements enforced by the state’s Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) remain in effect, including that employees and contractors may choose to use facemasks or other personal protective equipment (PPE) on the job without employer retaliation. Additionally, under the state Health Emergency Labor Standards Act (HELSA) rules, several key worker protections remain in place until the federal pandemic response declaration ends May 11.

N95 Masking Requirements Remain in Effect

Please be aware that recent updates to N95 masking requirements from the Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) remain in effect. With certain exceptions, health care providers are no longer required to wear an N95 respirator, including when performing aerosol generating procedures, when a patient is not known or suspected of having COVID-19 and the county in which the health care facility is located does not fall under the “high” level of community transmission, as indicated on the CDC Community Transmission Dashboard. Community transmission levels are updated on a regular basis.

There are a few exceptions regarding when an N95 is still required, as outlined below:

• If a county returns to a “high” level of community transmission, as indicated on the CDC Community Transmission Dashboard, providers must return to wearing an N95 respirator when providing patient care. After a county returns to a lower level of community transmission, it is recommended that providers continue to use an N95 for two weeks before moving to a lower level of PPE. WSDA encourages dentists to frequently monitor the CDC Community Transmission Dashboard to maintain compliance with masking requirements.
• When providing care to a patient suspected or confirmed to have COVID-19, regardless of community transmission level, providers should wear an N95.

More information on masking and COVID-19 requirements and guidelines remaining in effect can be found at wsda.org/COVID-19.