(Image: The Doctor’s Office)
Heading out on Capitol Hill? Bring your mask. It is becoming increasingly likely you’ll need to wear it to enter your favorite cafes, restaurants, bars, and shops.
This week, local health officials issued new recommendations calling for everyone to continue to wear facial coverings “when in indoor public settings where vaccination status is unknown.”
The health officers of King, Pierce, Snohomish, Kitsap, Clallam, Jefferson, San Juan, and Grays Harbor counties have joined together to pass on their best public health advice to protect you, your family, and our communities. We recommend all residents wear facial coverings when in indoor public settings where the vaccination status of those around you is unknown. This step will help reduce the risk of COVID-19 to the public, including customers and workers, help stem the increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in many parts of the state, and decrease the spread of the highly contagious delta variant.
Vaccinations are our best defense against COVID-19 and are safe, effective, and readily available for everyone age 12 and over. Please get yours immediately if you are not already vaccinated.
Private businesses have the discretion to request mask compliance anyway but the new recommendations make it all the more likely more will again require coverings for staff and customers.
The recommendations come as the CDC Thursday issued revised guidance due to the rapid, continued spread of the Delta variant as states have reopened their economies after months of COVID-19 restrictions.
CHS reported here on the July full reopening of the state’s economy allowing restaurants and stores to return to full capacity and the lifting of social distancing restrictions. But, as we reported in May, variants and the continued spread of the virus have made for an uneasy path to ending the pandemic. The advice? Get vaccinated and keep your mask on.
In King County, officials are now reporting an average of around 220 new infections every day, levels last seen in March. Hospitalizations and deaths remain relatively low in the county — near the lowest levels of the pandemic.
At the core of the new rise is the Delta variant. Officials estimate it is now responsible for around 83% of new infections across the country. Meanwhile, while many of the cases are so-called breakthrough cases among the fully vaccinated, officials estimate 97% of hospitalizations involve people who have not yet been vaccinated. By the time a patient is in a hospital bed, of course, it is far too late for a shot to make a difference.
Key indicators of COVID-19 activity in King County
The fully vaccinated population in King County, meanwhile, has reached just under 75% of those 12 and older. Younger kids will have to wait for the fall, experts predict.
Besides a mask, you might also want to begin carrying proof of vaccination.
Capitol Hill bar The Doctor’s Office, appropriately enough, has become the latest neighborhood venue to announce it will require proof of vaccination for entry:
Effective August 1st we will require proof of full vaccination or a negative test within 48h for all guests. Please be prepared to show this documentation upon arrival, and we genuinely thank you for doing your part to keep this thing from roaring back.
“Anyone giving our staff the slightest bit of pushback on this matter will be barred for life, along with everyone in their party, and if you have a problem with that you can take it up with me, the owner, who has zero tolerance left for the willingly unvaccinated, and even less for anyone who dares give my staff a hard time about it or hangs out with someone who does,” the message posted by the E Olive Way bar reads. It is signed, “The Doctor (who has clearly run out of fucks to give).”
The bar opened in early 2020 just as the pandemic first took hold. Owner Dr. Matthew Powell is a physician with Virginia Mason.
Tl;dr:
Proof of vaccination required effective August 1 pic.twitter.com/uqlj9g8xVK— The Doctor's Office (@TDOSeattle) July 27, 2021
The Doctor’s Office joins fellow E Olive Way nightspot CC Attle’s which began requiring proof of vaccine in May in response to inconsistent guidance from health officials. “The constant changing of directives by various agencies over mask use and what is safe, has caused confusion and frustration over what is the right thing to do,” the popular gay bar’s announcement about the requirement read.
Ideally, the vaccination requirements were hoped to eliminate the need for masks though it’s unclear how customers will react if infection rates continue to climb. In San Francisco, more than 300 bars have banded together to require proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test.
Meanwhile, the Department of Justice says that federal law won’t bar businesses or government agencies from requiring employees to get vaccinated.
UPDATE: The Cuff and Queer/Bar family is also joining the wave, starting Friday:
Meanwhile, another wave has hit the industry as several Seattle bars have announced temporarily closures due to positive COVID-19 tests including the Unicorn, and Rumba and its sibling bar Inside Passage.
Thanks to a CHS reader for the picture
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Cuff, Queer Bar, and The Woods are requiring vax info as of 7/30.
I seriously hope Seattle bars/clubs follow SFO’s lead. If they do it together, then that will make a difference.
Thanks unvaccinated people…. We all really appreciate the return of restrictions.
I wish more bars would do this. I’m now 10 times more likely to go to The Doctor’s Office.
I wish the Seattle Symphony would do this, 18th century music is cool, 18th century public health policy not so much.
What is the SSO’s policy? At any rate, their concerts don’t begin until September, so for now your comment is moot.
You have to renew your membership this month. They took a survey with a range of alternatives to not requiring proof of vaccination, and now their policy doesn’t require proof of vaccination and you waive the right to sue if you get COVID. Ok, the waiver is 20th century, I’ll give them that.
Bar/restaurant/shop owners… Please start requiring proof of vax. Much more effective than masks. Our government is too sclerotic/hidebound to mandate this, but someone need to do it. Thanks.
First mayoral candidate to incentivize proof-of-vaccination requirements for maskless entry gets all my democracy vouchers.
Let’s get big stickers you can put on your window, just like the Zagat ones and the Health Inspection ones, to let customers know that they’re not going to get Delta from some anti-vaxx idiot in your establishment.
Do you think a photocopy of my vaccine status is suffice? Or do I need the real document? This is beyond infuriating that we are back in this position.
Hey Justin- If the information becomes available can you share if a photograph of the vaccination card would be suffice? Or do we need to bring the physical card?
Take a photo of your card and keep it on your phone. You can even favorite it in order to be able to quickly find it when needed. Doing this has worked for me every time someone asked for proof of vaccination.