Face-mask mandates to limit the spread of COVID-19 may be lifted soon, Public Health Officer Dr. Allison Berry said Monday.

Berry said the end of the mask mandate could come by the end of March or early April.

Berry, the public health officer for Jefferson and Clallam counties, said she had been in talks about the topic with her counterparts as well as state officials.

The ultimate lifting of the state’s mask mandate is a decision that Gov. Jay Inslee will make, Berry told Jefferson County Commissioners at their weekly pandemic briefing Monday.

“The timing of that is still being determined,” Berry added.

Berry said the number of COVID cases in Washington state has peaked, and there has been a 30 percent drop in case numbers in the past week. 

The number of cases in Jefferson County is starting to drop, as well, she said.

“We are very much moving in the right direction,” Berry said. “Better days are ahead of us and they are very soon.”

“There is light at the end of the tunnel and it is closer than it has ever been,” she added.

Three additional deaths from COVID-19 have been reported in Jefferson County since Feb. 8. A total of 26 residents have died from the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic.

The most recent death was a woman in her 90s who was unvaccinated and had chronic medical conditions.

Late last week, public health officials reported that a man in his 90s had died from COVID. The man was vaccinated but not boosted, and had chronic medical conditions.

And on Feb. 8, health officials said a man in his 60s had died from the disease. He was also unvaccinated and with chronic medical conditions.

Jefferson County reported a total count of 2,874 confirmed cases of COVID-19 Monday, and increase of 46 cases since Friday.

County health officials reported four residents hospitalized due to COVID-19 on Feb. 14.

Berry said the announcement date on the end of the mask mandate may come as soon as the end of the week.

Even if the mandate is lifted, people will still be required to wear masks in high-risk settings and places where there are vulnerable populations. People can also continue to wear masks voluntarily, Berry said.

“There is a lot of stress around masks in every direction right now,” Berry said, adding that she has heard from people who want masks gone now, and others who want the mandate to continue.

“There is a lot of stress around masks in every direction right now,” she said.

Jefferson County has its own mandate for masks in indoor settings, but Berry said she expects to change that to move in tandem with state requirements.

“My preference is to move with the state,” Berry told county commissioners Monday.

“I think it will be very hard to maintain a local mask mandate alone if we  are the only county left doing it,” she said.