In a letter sent to Governor Inslee last week, House Republican Leader Representative J.T. Wilcox and Senator John Braun, Senate Republican Leader, asked that he end Washington’s mask mandates.

Applauding the announcement to end mandates by California and Oregon, fellow members of the Western States Pact, Rep. Wilcox and Sen. Braun, encouraged Gov. Inslee to follow suit. Quoting Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal as saying, “…it is safe and timely to eliminate the statewide masking requirement for students and allow for a decision by local health officials.”

The Republican leaders also agreed with a statement by Dr. Chris Murray, chair of Health Metrics Sciences at the University of Washington, where he said, “the best strategy is to change our mindset to managing an endemic disease and move out of the pandemic mode.”

The letter concluded by pointing to the science and data, saying we have already moved into a new phase with this disease. “We ask you to trust the science and end the mandatory state mask mandates.”