(Image: The Roanoke)
The few Capitol Hill bars and restaurants that aren’t already requiring proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID test to get in the door have just over a month to get their acts together.
Starting October 25th, a new vaccination verification system will be put in place in King County requiring the proof to be shown for entry to indoor areas of restaurants and bars, live music events, performing arts, and gyms, as well as large outdoor events like professional sports with 500 or more people in attendance.
Smaller restaurants and bars with a seating capacity no greater than 12 people will have until December 6th to implement the requirements.
(Image: MyIR Mobile)
As in areas like New York where vaccination requirements have come with new digital pass systems, the King County policy will be accompanied by a new resource to help businesses streamline the process of reviewing vaccination cards and test results as the county says the MyIR Mobile app already available in Washington will be updated to provide a COVID-19 vaccination status QR code by the end of the month. The app is also used by state health departments including Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Dakota, West Virginia, and Washington, DC to provide a digital copy of vaccination cards. You can learn more about registering for the free service here.
In July, CHS reported on the wave of Capitol Hill restaurants and bars that have already been requiring the documents.
“With continued high levels of preventable COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations and increased deaths driven by the Delta variant, serious stress on our regional healthcare system, and concern for a significant outbreak resurgence this fall and winter, King County Executive Dow Constantine, Seattle Mayor Jenny A. Durkan and community, health care, small business, and arts and culture partners joined in support of requiring verification of full vaccination or a negative test to enter certain indoor and outdoor activities and establishments,” the announcement of the new policy reads.
A Health Order issued today by Public Health – Seattle & King County Health Officer Dr. Jeff Duchin, going into effect on October 25, will protect customers and workers through providing safer spaces, protecting our health care system, and helping prevent business closures. It will
apply to:• Outdoor events with 500 people or more – such as professional and collegiate sports and entertainment events
• Indoor entertainment and recreational events or establishments – such as professional
and collegiate sports, entertainment, performing arts, museums, theatre, live music,
gyms and conferences/conventions.
• Restaurants and bars (including indoor dining) – this does not apply to outdoor dining,take-out customers, and places that aren’t primarily used as a restaurant, such as grocery stores.
Officials Thursday said the requirements are not expected to be permanent.
Many large events and sports teams and venues including Seattle Kraken, Seattle Mariners, Seattle Seahawks, Seattle Sounders FC, Seattle Storm, Seattle Thunderbirds, University of Washington Huskies, and all events at Climate Pledge Arena have already adopted vaccination verification policies after King County announced new requirements for large outdoor events earlier this month.
The new verification policy come as Washington and populous King County return to levels of “substantial transmission” of the virus and more virulent variants driven mostly by spread among the unvaccinated. Health officials say the Delta variant is more than twice as contagious as the original COVID-19. In Seattle and King County over the past 30 days, totals show around 70% of cases and 83% of COVID-related hospitalizations were among those who are not fully vaccinated. Among COVID-related deaths in King County over the last month, more than 75% of those who died were not fully vaccinated.
Thursday, officials said the vaccine requirements will help, citing research by the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. The analysis conducted for the county found that a vaccine verification policy at restaurants, bars and gyms alone could prevent between 17,900 and 75,900 infections, 421 and 1,760 hospitalizations and 63 and 257 deaths locally over six months with the order in place.
About 68.1% of Washington’s population is estimated to be vaccinated at this point. In King County, officials say 79.1% of the population is now fully vaccinated. Early in the pandemic, officials had hope that achieving 70% vaccination rates would bring “herd immunity” levels and slow the spread of the COVID virus but outbreaks have continued.
There are still 300,000 King County residents who are eligible but have not yet started their vaccination series.
State, county, and city employees have been given until October 18th to become fully vaccinated or risk termination.
Under the King County system, a variety of documentation will be accepted:
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) COVID-19 vaccination record card or photo of card.
• printed certificate or QR code (available in late September) from MyIRMobile.com.
(MyIR Mobile is currently limited to English language only. For language assistance, or additional help getting your records, call the Washington State Vaccine Helpline at 833- VAX-HELP (833-829-4357) or email [email protected])
• other official immunization record from within or outside the United States, including from your health care provider. A photo or photocopy of this card is also acceptable .
Full vaccination is defined as two weeks after the second dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or two weeks after one dose of Johnson & Johnson vaccine , or two weeks after completing another approved vaccine. No personal identification with proof of vaccination will be required.
People who are unvaccinated or cannot prove vaccine status will be required to show proof of a negative PCR COVID-19 test in the last 72 hours, or a negative rapid test result from a testing provider conducted on site at an event or establishment just prior to entry.
Individuals under 12 years of age, who are not eligible to be vaccinated, are not required to be tested for entry under the policy.
Even with a more streamlined experience with the new app and standard policy across the county, the brunt of the new system will fall on employees at the neighborhood businesses you enjoy. King County officials say they will be “working with partners to provide technical support and educational materials to businesses and organizations implementing the order.”
Steven Severin, co-owner at Life on Mars and Neumos and an advocate for the live music industry in Seattle, tells CHS owners like him are asking for more help from the state and systems like New York’s Excelsior Pass.
“It’s a pain, difficult, and expensive for us to have to check the vaxx cards by hand,” Severin said. “It would be great especially now that it’s a mandate across the country, for them to come up with something that everyone uses. The more consistency we can have the better for all.”
UPDATE: Meanwhile, many venues will also choose to put or maintain stronger restrictions in place. 12th Ave’s Canon is one example. It hasn’t been allowing customers in who aren’t vaccinated — even with a negative test. The new policy won’t change that. “We have not been allowing entry with a negative test and we aren’t starting now,” the bar’s ownership said via its Twitter account.
Glad the county is doing this but of course they have to make it harder for us 🤦🏻♀️
1) This is a bar. Yes you DO have to show id with your vax card.
2) We have not been allowing entry with a negative test and we aren’t starting now. https://t.co/xPEHENYsRT
— canon (@CanonSeattle) September 17, 2021
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