(Bloomberg) -- Washington, one of just a handful of U.S. states with indoor mask mandates, will lift that requirement for most spaces, including schools, on March 21 as Covid cases decline and hospital crowding eases. 

“That’s a very important step in our journey to normalcy,” Governor Jay Inslee, a Democrat, said Thursday at a press conference. “This is both good for our health and our education of our children and the total reopening of our economy.”

Masks will still be mandatory in hospitals, medical offices, long-term care and correctional facilities. Federal law requires masks on public transportation.

The past few weeks have seen several states, including California and New York, drop or ease masking requirements as the omicron wave of Covid recedes.

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