Proof of COVID-19 Jab or Recent Negative Test Needed for Entry if More Than 1,000 Indoor, 10,000 Outdoor Attendees
Those attending large events in Washington state will have to show they are fully vaccinated from COVID-19 or have recently tested negative for the disease beginning next month.
During a Thursday press conference, Gov. Jay Inslee announced the new requirement that beginning Nov. 15 those older than 12 going to events greater than 1,000 indoor or 10,000 outdoor attendees will be required to show COVID-19 vaccination verification or a negative test in the prior 72 hours.
Inslee said the requirement extends to events with “defined entrances” such as concerts, sports games, fairs and theme parks. Religious services and K-12 school-related events occurring on school property are exempt.
Inslee said the requirement does not apply to large operations such as museums, shopping malls or grocery stores.
The governor said verification can be made through a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccination card or photo of the card, a screenshot from myirmobile.com or records from a health care provider. Records from a test provider or laboratory are valid for verifying a negative test.
Inslee said the testing method acceptable to attend events had yet to be determined but would be in the next few days. The vaccination requirement will not require identification, Nick Streuli, Inslee’s director of external affairs, said.
Though he said it was still the state’s stance that COVID-19 testing was not an adequate measure to combat the pandemic, Inslee said allowing for those tests to enter large events was “the only reasonable way” to accommodate individuals with exemptions to the vaccine.
“It’s very difficult to ask a football team to assess the religious or medical exemption requests of 70,000 people,” he said.
At the press conference, Inslee also touched on the upcoming deadline for state government employees to be fully vaccinated. As of the press conference, he said more than 90 percent of state employees were vaccinated.
The governor said the vaccination rate was “extremely gratifying” as the number showed there would not be a “mass exodus” of state employees. In talking with state agencies, Inslee said he was told there were not going to be major disruptions in providing services as a result of those who would be leaving state employment.
“We’re going to keep operating just fine,” Inslee said. “There might be some operational changes in agencies, but they have provided a way to do that.”
Inslee said there would not be an extension of the Oct. 18 deadline. He defended his stance on the requirement as a matter of public safety.
“It is a fair thing not to allow public servants to infect the public,” Inslee said. “That’s why this is a job requirement. And if people do make a choice to leave service, we will replace them. We will find other people who do decide to become vaccinated.”
The governor said there was a possibility for those losing their jobs over the mandate to get vaccinated and seek re-employment if the positions did not become filled in their absence. He said “there is some possibility” for those losing their jobs due to the mandate to receive unemployment benefits, but the majority of individuals in that demographic would likely not.
Inslee concluded by pointing to the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine, which he said has been hindered by “bologna” information present on the internet.
“There is more bologna on the internet than (in) any thousand delis in New York City,” Inslee said. “Listen to your doctor. Listen to the science. It will tell you it’s a safe vaccine.”
