Governor Inslee states students and staff to wear masks while inside

Masks for outdoor and athletics have not been announced.

Leslie Parker, CDC

Masks will be required while in schools for the upcoming school year. Information on requirements for outdoors or athletics have been announced.

TVW

Egalitarian Staff

Dust off those masks you wore last school year. You will need them again.

Washington State Governor Jay Inslee announced today, that all K-12 schools will continue “our existing school guidance, which matches with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) masking guidance for the upcoming school year in K-12. All students and employees will be required to wear masks around each other in school buildings.”

This comes on the heals of the increased COVID-19 cases not just in the county, state but around the nation. Cases within the Renton School District have increased since the end of the school year.

  • Within the city of Renton – 51.2/100k to 125.1/100k
  • Within the city of Newcastle – 17.0/100k to 93.6/100k
  • Skyway/West Hill – 70.6/100k to 114.0/100k

The Delta variant appears to be the biggest spread to the increase and with students under the age of 12 not being able to get vaccine. The vaccine is also not required to attend school, however to prevent the spread and prevent the time out of school, its urged. According to King County Public Health only 73.4% of those eligible for the vaccine have taken both doses.