As the conditions of the pandemic change, a relaxing of Washington’s indoor masking requirement is expected to be announced soon. The Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) is also expected to release new guidance for employers that require regular COVID-19 testing for employees.

The omicron variant wave continues to subside, and more officials express hope that we are entering a new phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes the hope that we are nearing the end of the widespread public health emergency, as the disease becomes one of any number of “endemic” diseases (like the flu) that we exercise normal precautions for but no longer require extraordinary measures to keep from spiraling out of control. While it is unclear at this point if we are in fact transitioning away from a pandemic emergency (cities will recall similar prognostications in late spring of 2021), policymakers and public health officials are continuing to monitor the progress of the disease.

AWC has become aware of some impending changes and updates to the state’s COVID-19 guidance that cities should be aware of.

The first is that Governor Inslee announced at a press conference on February 9 that his administration is considering relaxing Washington’s indoor mask mandate in the near future. He announced an end to the state’s current outdoor events masking requirement by February 18, and that he expects to announce an end date for the indoor mask requirement next week. The Governor said the move is justified by declining COVID-19 hospitalizations across the state as well as national and international trends in omicron cases. The move comes as Oregon and California also look to end their statewide indoor mask mandates over the next few weeks.

The second anticipated piece of guidance is related to COVID-19 testing. L&I is expecting to release a new COVID-related FAQ for employers. Some local governments have imposed vaccine-or-testing requirements for their employees, or they may have offered regular testing as an accommodation for employees exempted from vaccination. Among other things, the guidance is expected to say that while employers may not be required to cover the cost of an employee’s test, if the employer requires testing as a condition of employment, the employee’s travel time and testing procedure time must be paid. We will report more details when the FAQ guidance is released.