SEATTLE – Masks will no longer be required in the Archdiocese of Seattle starting March 12, as the state lifts its indoor mask mandate in many indoor settings.

That means masks won’t be required during Mass or during other parish or school events, but those who wish to wear masks are welcome to continue. The archdiocese “will continue to uphold other COVID safety measures,” Archbishop Paul D. Etienne said in a February 18 letter.

“As the shepherd of this flock, I wish to provide a welcoming environment so that our parishes and schools may continue to carry out the mission of the Church,” the archbishop said. “People will have different comfort levels related to masking and we will respect everyone’s choice, while upholding our other safety measures.”

The state had previously announced March 21 as the date masks would no longer be required in many indoor settings.

The new date is based on updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the University of Washington Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, and the Washington State Department of Health, the archdiocese noted. 

Although cantors at Mass won’t be required to wear masks starting March 12, they must remain 6–9 feet apart (the archdiocese noted that choirs were the source of all three incidents of COVID-19 spread at parishes during the pandemic).

“Congregations may respond in song to Mass parts, psalms, chanted dialogue parts of the Mass and minimal verses of hymns,” the archdiocese said in its latest COVID-19 guidance.

In his letter, Archbishop Etienne asked his flock to continue praying for those who have died during the pandemic, as well as “the countless lives” it has disrupted and for the health care workers who have responded to the crisis.

On February 28, Governor Jay Inslee announced that the indoor mask mandate will end at 11:59 p.m. March 11. However, masks will still be required for health care facilities and dental offices, long-term care facilities, prisons, public transit and school buses. Private businesses or local governments that want to continue requiring masks may do so.