King County Executive Dow Constantine and Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan demonstrated the upcoming vaccine verification process on Monday, ahead of the start of verification requirements on October 25.Constantine and Durkan visited Cafe Allegro in the University District to demonstrate how, beginning next week, businesses and patrons will be expected to verify coronavirus vaccination or test statuses in most public spaces in King County.
Patrons and customers over the age of 12 must provide proof of full vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result from the previous 72 hours when in the following situations, according to a countywide health order signed last month:Outdoor recreational and entertainment events with a capacity of 500 or more, such as collegiate sports, professional sports, and concerts.
Indoor restaurants, bars, and taverns with 12 or more seats.Gyms, fitness centres, and public pools are examples of indoor entertainment and recreational establishments.Nightclubs, music and concert venues, movie theatres, museums, collegiate and professional sports stadiums and arenas, exhibition halls, and convention centres are examples of performing arts venues.Indoor restaurants, bars, and taverns with fewer than 12 seats will have until December 6 to comply.”
This is our way of ensuring that businesses continue to function, employees and customers remain healthy, and our economy continues to move,” Constantine said at a press conference outside the coffee shop.
Constantine and Durkan both showed coffee shop employees photos of their vaccination cards on their smartphones, demonstrating how to act in accordance with the order, before sipping coffee with Public Health – Seattle & King County interim Director Dennis Worsham and Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce CEO Rachel Smith and discussing the new order.
Durkan and Smith believe businesses will embrace the requirement as a way to make employees and customers more comfortable in public places.”How many times in the last two weeks have I had employees pull me aside and say, ‘Thank you.'”
“I didn’t feel safe coming to work before, but now I do,” Durkan explained. “And what you see here is that requiring a vaccination card gives the business an opportunity to tell its employees, ‘We have a safe place for you,’ and its customers, ‘We have a safe place for you.””And we have some businesses that have already gone ahead and implemented it,” Smith said.
“We’re learning a lot from them, so we’ve been hosting webinars and other events so that they can talk to businesses that are just starting out, to give best practises and workshop some of the stuff they went through to make it work for their operations.
“Businesses will accept any of the following forms of vaccination proof:COVID-19 Vaccine Record Card from the Centers for Disease Control, or a photo of a CDC Vaccine Record CardQR code, digital or printed certificate from MyIRMobile — myirmobile.com — a WA Department of Health immunisation records partner website.
Vaccine administration record from a vaccine provider, such as a doctor, pharmacy, or other official immunisation record from within or outside the United States, including a photo or photocopy.Any other digital vaccine card accepted as proof of vaccination status by Public Health — Seattle & King County.
Those who do not have proof of vaccination can present digital or physical proof of a negative FDA-authorized or approved molecular (PCR) or antigen (rapid) COVID-19 test within the previous 72 hours.
Self-administered antigen tests will not be accepted under the terms of the order.Constantine stated that the county will rely on “the integrity of people” rather than strictly enforcing the order.”We haven’t had enforcements around masks, we haven’t had enforcements around a number of things,” Constantine explained.
“However, Seattle and King County have stepped up as our residents have done the right thing in these particular environments.” “So, I believe it will be another situation in which people will step up and do the right thing.””If there are egregious complaints from either patrons or businesses, we will follow up on them, and there will be a way for them to complain, and we’ll check in with them on those specific things,” he added. “However, it will be on an honour system.
“Gov. Jay Inslee issued a similar statewide order last week, which will apply to all indoor events with more than 1,000 attendees and all outdoor events with more than 10,000 attendees.
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