This order from the Secretary of Health determines when and where Washingtonians must wear face masks. Individuals are individually responsible for complying with this order. K-12 schools and ECE programs (e.g., centre centres, home child care, Head Start or other early learning, early intervention, and preschool and preschool programs in schools, homes or other settings) should implement a range of infectious disease prevention strategies as part of their normal operations. The addition and stratification of COVID-19-specific prevention strategies should be linked to the community levels of COVID-19 and the specific context of the community or environment, such as the availability of resources, the health of students, and the age of the population served. Enhanced prevention strategies may also be required in response to an outbreak in K-12 or ECE settings. These CDC guidelines are intended to supplement, not replace, federal, state, tribal, local, or territorial health and safety laws, rules, and regulations with which schools and ECE programs must comply. Because of the increased and powerful exhalation that occurs during physical activity, some sports can put players, coaches, coaches and others at increased risk of contracting and spreading the virus that causes COVID-19. Contact sports and indoor sports are particularly risky for participants and spectators, especially during crowded indoor events. Similar risks may exist for other extracurricular activities such as orchestra, choir, drama, and other school clubs that gather indoors and involve increased exhalation. At a high community level of COVID-19, schools and ECE programs may consider introducing testing for high-risk activities such as indoor sports and extracurricular activities. Schools and ECE programs may consider temporarily suspending these activities to control a school- or program-related outbreak or during periods of high community levels of COVD-19. ECE programs may also consider layered prevention strategies, such as wearing masks in close contact, such as during feeding and diapers for toddlers and infants. Wearing a properly fitting mask or respirator consistently reduces the risk of spreading the virus that causes COVID-19.

At a high community level of COVID-19, universal indoor mask wearing is recommended in schools and ECE programs, as is the case in the broader community. The CDC also recommends wearing masks at all times in healthcare facilities, including school nurses, regardless of the current level of the COVID-19 community. People who have been exposed to COVID-19 or who have been exposed to COVID-19 should also wear a well-fitting mask or respirator for 10 days after their last exposure, regardless of vaccination status or history of infection. If you are in an area where the CDC-COVID-19 community level is high, wear a mask in indoor public spaces, including K-12 schools and other indoor spaces, regardless of your vaccination status, risk factors for severe illness, or previous COVID-19 infection. Challenges may be caused by sensitivity to materials on the face, difficulty understanding the importance of wearing a mask for protection, or difficulty controlling behaviour to hold the mask in place. Ten states and the District of Columbia require everyone in K-12 schools to wear masks. Eight states prohibit such a requirement, and 32 states leave the decision to local school districts. Schools and ECE programs may offer diagnostic testing to students and staff with symptoms of COVID-19 or who have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 in the K-12 or ECE environment, or refer them to a community testing site, health care provider or home test. Any COVID-19 test with an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) has a minimum age. Schools and ECE programs should only use tests that are appropriate for the person being tested. Local health departments, some school districts, and individual businesses may choose to require masks for their employees, customers, or residents.

If you are in an establishment or place where COVID-19 safety measures are in place, please follow them.