WHATCOM COUNTY, Wash. — Following the lead of 41 other states that have already fully reopened, Washington Governor Jay Inslee ordered nearly all COVID-19 restrictions he put in place over the past 15 months be lifted effective 12:01am today, June 30th.
People will be allowed to return to living as they did pre-COVID-19 restrictions except for the following.
- the number of attendees at any event with more than 10,000 simultaneous participants in an indoor, enclosed space is limited to 75% capacity
- mask requirements remain in what have been deemed high-risk settings (e.g. healthcare facilities, schools and childcare centers)
- workplace safety requirements from the Department of Labor & Industries remain including requiring unvaccinated employees to wear masks while working indoors
- businesses and agencies can choose to require customers to wear masks and physically distance themselves from others regardless of vaccination status
Travelers are asked to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines.
The first phase of Canada’s border reopening will begin on July 5th at 9pm. Fully vaccinated Canadian citizens and permanent residents who are eligible to enter Canada under the current travel restrictions will be allowed to do so without being required to quarantine.
There have been no official indications to date about when and how the border will be opened to allow Canadians to resume travel into the US or for Americans or other foreigners to resume travel into Canada since the border closed 15 months ago.