(Photo by Catherine Ivill / Getty Images)
As of Tuesday, anyone over the age of 5, regardless of vaccination status, must wear a face covering outdoor events in Pierce County.
Dr. Anthony LT Chen, director of health for the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, issued the warrant Friday, just a day after King County Health Officer Dr. Jeff Duchin did the same.
Great meetings means any event with more than 500 attendees.
“We also recommend that you wear a mask in any crowded environment where physical distancing is not possible,” Pierce County said in a press release.
The county issued a mask warrant for indoor environments in mid-August. A state mask mandate is also in place for indoor environments, which include grocery stores, shopping malls and community centers.
“We are taking this step to ensure that the most vulnerable people in our community do not become infected or spread COVID-19,” Dr. Chen said. “The highly contagious delta variant is causing a rapid increase in COVID-19 positive cases and leads to an increase in hospitalizations and deaths.”
Pierce County reports that COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations have been at their peak.