Coffee at The Buzz at Seattle Central (Image: Seattle Culinary Academy)
You won’t have to show it if you’re just picking up coffee but if you want to hang around and linger in your favorite Capitol Hill cafe, you’re going to need your proof of vaccination.
Monday brings the October 25th deadline for the new health order across the county requiring 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 a dozen people will have until December 6th to implement the requirements.
The new order is hoped to help slow the continued transmission of COVID-19 and better protect workers. It also puts Capitol Hill restaurants, bars, and shops again on the frontlines of dealing with pandemic-era requirements. CHS reported here on the helpful but limited resources being provided to the businesses including training materials, signage, and “scenario planning” documents in multiple languages.
One wrinkle will be issues with the MyIRMobile system promoted by King County to help streamline the proof process. Some people are reporting problems trying to register in the system. For now, the easiest solution is keep a picture of your card handy and available for display or download.
In King County, the transmission rate remains in the “high” category with around 400 new cases a day — down around 30% from August’s recent peak. Currently, around 15 new hospitalizations are recorded every day with around two to three COVID-19 related deaths. Seattle’s transmission rate clocks in a tick lower and is still considered “substantial.”
The City of Seattle has ramped back up its public vaccination efforts with a new downtown Vaccination Hub, boosters, and plans for kids to finally begin the vaccination process.
Meanwhile, this week the FDA is expected to finally authorize COVID-19 vaccine for kids. The next US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) vaccine advisory group meeting is set to begin November 2nd and 3rd which should result in the sign-off necessary to begin scheduling shots that week.
82.4% of King County residents 12 and older are considered fully vaccinated. Opening kids to vaccination here will mean hundreds of thousands more people will finally be able to join the ranks.
(Source)
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