Washington Gears Up for Friday’s Mask Up Mandate. Is Yakima Ready

I follow a lot of groups around the area and I am seeing all sorts of comments with all kinds of opinions from, "I wear my mask everyday" to, "Nobody can take away my freedoms, I won't ever be wearing a mask and you can't make me."

Governor Jay Inslee has instituted a mask mandate that goes into effect Friday, June 26th 2020 and people are feeling some type of way about it. Some people feel it's important to wear your mask everyday because you are saving other people's lives by wearing it. Others are latching onto conspiracy theories that the hospital has tons of beds and the numbers are being padded.

My husband says, "you wear a seatbelt everyday and don't expect to get in an accident but it's for protection purposes. None of us want to get sick but if wearing a mask helps slow the spread from person to person then we should do that for protection purposes!"

On the opposite side, I have a friend who says, "I'm young, healthy and I shouldn't be hindered from living my life. If people are at risk they should just stay home."

I am not a mask freak. It's not like they are amazingly comfortable and even if you get a cute pattern or one for every day it still gets kind of hot and sweaty. I have felt a little silly and claustrophobic but I am making a point to wear my reusable ones and washing them as well.

If you were to forget your mask, somes stores in the area are providing disposable ones. You could get fined beginning Friday, June 26th, 2020 as a patron of an establishment as well as the owners for not enforcing mask wearing. I am very curious to see how this plays out in Yakima based on the differing opinions.