A new directive from Public Health – Seattle & King County is strongly urging residents to wear face coverings when in public and a social distance of at least six feet cannot be maintained. In a teleconference on Monday, officials stressed that the move could help slow transmission of the coronavirus, especially as communities begin to reopen after weeks of “stay home” orders.
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King County Executive Dow Constantine, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, Public Health Officer Jeff Duchin and Public Health Equity Director Matias Valenzuela all expressed hope that residents would comply and wear face coverings to protect themselves and others and convey a message of caring to one another.
“We would much rather see people lock down their nose and mouth than lock down their neighborhoods,” Duchin said, as the goal is to avoid a bounce back in COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths.
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The face coverings — to be worn in such places as grocery stores and other indoor spaces — could include cloth masks, scarves, and bandanas and must fit over the nose and mouth.
Officials urged residents to save medical-grade surgical masks and N95 respirators for healthcare workers and people who have special health needs.
The requirement will not be enforceable by law and those not in a mask will not be targeted by police. But individual business, such as restaurants, will be allowed to refuse service to customers who do not comply with face covering requirements that they set for themselves.
King County has 115,000 masks and the City of Seattle has another 45,000 that will be distributed to organizations that can get them to communities in need.
“We are far from out of the woods,” Durkan said. “Still far too many people are getting the virus.”
