Following the release of new guidelines from the King County Public Health Department, as of Oct. 25, it is now required for people aged 12 and up to provide proof of vaccination when entering certain spaces. These locations include restaurants, bars, gyms or other indoor recreational establishments like museums or concerts, as well as any outdoor event with more than 500 people. This restriction is being added so as to reduce the spread of COVID-19 among unvaccinated individuals, as well as protect hospitals from growing shortages of space and resources. In fact, this new policy is backed by every major hospital in the area.
There are many ways to prove your vaccination status. Acceptable forms of vaccination ID include an official CDC vaccination card, a photo of said ID card, proof of vaccination from another state or county, documented proof of vaccination from a medical record or vaccine provider, printed certificate, or a digital record from MyIRMobile.com or other apps that document proof. If you are unvaccinated, or cannot prove your vaccination status, you will still be able to present evidence of a negative COVID-19 test that was taken in the last 72 hours to enter establishments. Bellevue College supports a COVID-19 testing site if you are searching for a location to take a test.
This restriction still goes alongside current COVID-19-related policies. You must still stay safe by wearing a mask and socially distancing indoors and outdoors. Hopefully, with this added policy, more people will soon get vaccinated and a load will be taken off hospitals, COVID-19 related deaths will drop and infection rates will decline. For more information on the new requirement, you can check out the official statement made by the Public Health Department. For other current COVID-19 guidelines, be sure to look at the resources on the Public Health Department’s official site.
