Do you still need to cover your face? Yes, according to health experts, as COVID rates rise.

Washington's statewide indoor mask requirement expired about four months ago, but some local infectious disease specialists and state epidemiologists are hopeful that rising case numbers will serve as a reminder to citizens not to relax precautions too much.

According to the COVID data dashboard maintained by the state Department of Health, COVID levels have been increasing across the state since mid-March and started to level off in mid- to late-May. At the beginning of July, the state reported a seven-day case rate of almost 225 illnesses per 100,000 residents, up from 42 per 100,000 in March.

The rapid spread of the BA.5 subvariant of omicron, which at the end of June accounted for three times as many COVID cases, is largely to blame for the state's ongoing high level of infection.

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Dr. Jeff Duchin stated at a news briefing this month that King County is "actively examining" whether and when additional public health restrictions could be required, but that there are currently no firm plans to reinstate indoor mask regulations.

According to DOH spokesperson Katie Pope, no new criteria are currently anticipated for the entire state. Instead, the department is "focused on health system capacity, illness severity in Washington State, and what is on the horizon in terms of variations."

However, data from the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, a global research center, show that mask use appears to have dramatically decreased since the mandate ceased in March. Mask use began to reduce in late January, according to a number of self-reported survey results from IHME, and it sharply decreased in early to mid-March once the state's indoor mask regulations were lifted.

According to Dr. Joshua Schiffer, a clinical research professor of vaccines and infectious disease at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, masking is probably not doing much to stop the spread of the virus currently, despite the fact that it continues to be effective at protecting people from infection on an individual basis.

Wearing them, but also for society as a whole because widespread use probably reduced the incidence of illness spread, according to Schiffer. "At this point, mask use is quite low in locations with the greatest danger."

State health experts nevertheless advise wearing masks in busy, indoor settings and tight spaces, even though they are no longer necessary in most places (apart from healthcare, long-term care, and correctional facilities).

In situations where it is not a major inconvenience, such as in a clinic, a grocery store, or on a flight, Schiffer remarked, "My personal practice is to wear the best masks available." But like other people, I'm taking calculated chances and leaving my mask at home when I go to a restaurant or a sporting event.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advise that at the very least High community risk areas in 12 Washington counties, including King, Snohomish, Thurston, and Spokane, should resume mask use indoors and on public transit.

Masks were protective for those at an early stage of the pandemic response.