Starting today, Oct. 25, 2021, King County Public Health Officer Jeff Duchin’s Health Order requiring people to verify full vaccination or a negative test to participate in outdoor public events of 500 or more people and indoor entertainment and recreational establishments and events such as live music performing arts, gyms restaurants and bars.

Preventable COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations remain at high levels in King County. This new Public Health—Seattle & King County (Public Health) policy, announced on Sept. 16, 2021, creates an additional layer of protection from COVID-19.

Public Health Officer Dr. Jeff Duchin has issued a Health Order that requires people attending recreational activities in most public places to show proof that they have been vaccinated against COVID-19. People who are unvaccinated or cannot prove vaccine status will be required to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test administered by a testing provider within the last 72 hours on site at an event or establishment just prior to entry. Rapid tests used without the supervision of a testing provider will not be accepted. 

The Order is intended to make public spaces safer for everyone. It aims to slow the virus’s spread in our community, and to preserve local hospital capacity. It broadens and reinforces the vaccine verification policies that many restaurants, professional sports teams, universities, and businesses already have in place. 

We know that the vaccines dramatically reduce a person’s risk of needing to be hospitalized from COVID-19. Vaccines dramatically reduce the chances of dying. Vaccines are free and widely available to anyone age 12 and up.

Currently, nearly 80 percent of people eligible for the vaccine in our region (SeaTac, Burien, Tukwila and Renton) are fully vaccinated. Nearly 86 percent of people in the same area have received at least one shot.

Getting as many people vaccinated as possible is the surest way to control the pandemic. With proof of vaccination, along with other layers of protection such as masks, residents can feel safer enjoying concerts, sporting events, and social gatherings in public. 

People can verify that they’ve been vaccinated in a number of ways. They can show:

  • A CDC vaccine card or photo of vaccine card
  • Documented proof of vaccination from medical record or vaccine provider
  • Proof of vaccination from another state or country
  • Digital record or printed certificate from MyIRMobile.com or other apps (the MyIR QR code is not currently operational).

Published by cityofseatac