King County and the City of Seattle on Monday officially dropped their COVID-19 vaccine mandate. FOX13
Employees with the city and county must no longer provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19 as a condition of employment, effective immediately. King County Executive Dow Constantine and Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell made the announcement Monday, following guidance from Public Health – Seattle & King County.first went into effect mid-2021. Officials say more than 98% of King County's 15,000 employees—and 4,000 hired since—provided proof of vaccination, while less than 2% were fired.
Given King County's high vaccination rate, booster numbers, low community spread and low COVID infections, Public Health determined the risk was low enough to end the mandate. "Since the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, King County’s policy has been to follow the science, listen to the experts, and protect life and health. Establishing a vaccine mandate for employees and contractors was critical to keeping employees and the public safe, and keeping services flowing. Today our experts advise that immunity has reached a level that allows these requirements to be relaxed," said Constantine.
Constantine also ended the county’s COVID-19 emergency proclamation. The Executive’s Office noted this will not change booking restrictions at county correctional facilities, which they say will remain due to staffing shortages."The vaccine mandate was an effective and necessary tool for protecting the health and safety of City workers and the public we serve," said Mayor Harrell.