Washington Governor Jay Inslee announced on Saturday that residents in Yakima County will be required to wear masks in public to stop what he calls an extremely serious threat.
Gov. Inslee said he will sign the proclamation on Monday or Tuesday to give essential businesses and County leaders time to prepare for the mandate. Gov. Inslee says the proclamation will require businesses to not serve people if they are not wearing a face covering.
Gov. Inslee said Yakima County has the highest COVID-19 rate in the western United States, adding that 22 percent of hospitalizations in Washington are located in Yakima.
Yakima County has more COVID-19 cases than the entire state of Oregon and last week, 26 percent of people tested in Yakima tested positive. Ten percent of the deaths from COVID in Washington are reported in Yakima, while they only have three percent of the state’s population.
At last update, Yakima County has more than 6200 COVID-19 cases with 118 deaths.
