Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Over the last several weeks, we’ve seen many significant announcements from the Washington State Department of Health and our own Seattle King County Public Health team regarding the state of our COVID-19 response. I want to be sure to share the most up to date information with our communities, as well remind you about my upcoming town hall tomorrow, March 1, at 6:00 pm on Zoom.



Remember to tune into our first town hall of 2022 tomorrow at 6:00 pm. You can find the link on my website here. Do share this far and wide with your friends and neighbors – the more I hear from residents of the 8th District, the better I can advocate for their priorities before the Council.



You likely heard that the King County Board of Health recently repealed the helmet law. Helmets save lives – and everyone should wear a helmet while riding. However, the enforcement of this law targets and harms BIPOC riders and riders experiencing homelessness disproportionately. We must encourage safe practices without relying on law enforcement, which is why I secured $221,000 to support helmet access programs through Seattle King County Public Health during a supplemental budget last fall.

Current COVID-19 Guidance

With both local and state guidelines changing rapidly, I am sharing the current requirements around masks and vaccine verification:

• People are not required to wear masks at large outdoor events such as sports games or concerts – learn more on the Washington State Department of Health website.
• Washington will end the state mask mandate on March 12 – this mandate covers schools and businesses.
• Starting March 1, the vaccine verification requirement for businesses in King County will end. Individual businesses will be allowed to implement their own requirements.

I will be sure to update our communities as guidance changes in the coming weeks. I look forward to hearing from you at my town hall tomorrow – this will be a great opportunity to make your voice heard about the most pressing issues for you and your neighbors.

Stay safe and healthy,

-Joe

Joe McDermott
King County Councilmember