Beginning Friday, June 26th, a statewide order issued by Gov. Jay Inslee will require individuals to wear a face covering in indoor public spaces such as stores, offices and restaurants. The order also requires face coverings outdoors when people are unable to stay six feet apart from each other.
Due to Yakima County’s high rate of COVID-19 infection, Gov. Inslee also requires Yakima County businesses to only allow entry to customers if they are wearing a face covering. That order also takes effect on Friday.
Individuals exempt from the face covering proclamation include:
- Those with certain disabilities or health conditions.
- Those who are deaf or hard of hearing
- Children under the age of 5, though it is encouraged to have children ages 3 to 5 wear a face covering if possible.
The City of Yakima continues to support face covering and social distancing:
- On June 2nd, the Yakima City Council ratified a proclamation by Mayor Patricia Byers recommending community members wear face masks to slow the spread of COVID-19.
- On June 10th, Yakima grocery stores joined together with the City of Yakima to provide free masks throughout the community. The City received more than 95,000 disposable masks from the Yakima Health District (YHD) and Yakima Valley Office of Emergency Management. In all, the City distributed masks to 16 grocery stores, as well as Union Gospel Mission and Sunrise Outreach Ministries.
- The City is also leading the “Mask Up to Open Up” campaign.
Beginning Friday, Yakima Transit will require passengers to wear masks or face coverings in order to comply with the health order mandate. That includes allowing limited exceptions as indicated in the state mandate.
“The City of Yakima encourages residents, visitors and businesses in the city to comply with the face covering requirements,” said Communications and Public Affairs Director Randy Beehler. “We are doing so on the City website, through Y-PAC programming and on City social media outlets.”
All City of Yakima buildings remain closed to the public due to state restrictions related to slowing the spread of COVID-19.
The City continues to provide services. Visit https://www.yakimawa.gov/media/points-of-interest/online-city-services/ to connect with City departments online and by phone.
Click https://www.yakimawa.gov/covid19/ for information on the City’s response to the pandemic, as well as helpful precautions and links related to COVID-19 and the community’s response.
Click https://coronavirus.wa.gov/information-for/you-and-your-family/face-masks-or-cloth-face-covering for more about the face covering requirements.