King County Health Officer Dr. Jeff Duchin held a public briefing on March 11, 2022, answering questions from the news media and members of the community.
A transcript of the briefing is now available, and the video of the briefing is below.
Dr. Duchin discussed the lifting of the indoor mask mandate:
The risk of acquiring COVID-19 today in King County, especially the risk of acquiring severe infection, is greatly reduced compared to earlier in the pandemic, thanks to the high levels of vaccine uptake by King County residents… But COVID-19 is still circulating and some risk remains, especially for people with weakened immune systems from disease or medications.
It’s very reasonable to continue to wear a mask in indoor public spaces if you are at increased risk for severe disease, if you are unvaccinated or if you’re or if you’re in contact with someone who’s at high risk. In addition, some people may choose to wear a mask in public settings out of consideration for those other people who are at high risk or if they further want to reduce their own risk for any reason…
Please don’t throw away your high quality well-fitting mask, even if you’re not using it today, because it will be useful again in the event of future COVID 19 surges, which remain a real possibility.
Dr. Jeff Duchin, Health Officer for Public Health – Seattle & King county
Originally published March 11, 2022.