King County’s public health department announced June 29 that the mask mandate has been lifted as 70% of King County residents are fully vaccinated from COVID-19.

Now that the county’s mask mandate has been lifted, the Washington state mask guidance is in effect in King County.

Fully vaccinated people can go maskless in most settings, both outside and indoors. However, businesses and other establishments still have the right to require customers to wear masks.

Unvaccinated people should still wear masks indoors and in crowded outdoor settings.

The lifting of King County’s mask mandate comes a day before the state is scheduled to re-open. Most COVID-19 restrictions are set to be lifted Wednesday, June 30. According to Department of Health data, as of June 28, 68.8% of Washington residents age 16 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, just shy of the 70% goal.

According to Gov. Jay Inslee’s Roadmap to Recovery, capacity limitations for businesses and physical distancing requirements will end on June 30. Vaccine verification is suggested but not required. Employers are required to verify their employees have been vaccinated before employees can work without a face mask. Anyone 12 years of age or older is eligible to get the vaccine.

The lifting of King County’s mask mandate and the scheduled re-opening of the state are huge milestones of the COVID-19 pandemic. There have been restrictions in place regarding the COVID-19 pandemic since March 2020.

For information on how to get vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus, read here.