Verbatim from email:
Earlier this week you may have seen, Dr. Jeff Duchin, Public Health – Seattle & King County health officer, along with King County Executive Dow Constantine and Seattle Mayor Jenny A. Durkan issued a new Public Health Directive that requires passengers on King County Metro services to wear masks or face coverings while
riding transit starting on May 18.
The new directive requires voluntary compliance, and Metro operators will not prevent passengers without face coverings from boarding. We trust that all riders will comply to the extent they can, acknowledging that wearing a face covering poses unique challenges for some. These individuals, along with children under the age of two, are exempt from this directive. It is not always apparent who has an exemption, so other riders should avoid the temptation to police other passengers who aren’t wearing a mask.
As masks and face coverings become the norm, King County remains committed to sharing accurate information and confronting discrimination. Wearing a mask or face covering does not mean a person is ill, and ethnicity has nothing to do with an individual’s vulnerability to this disease. We recognize that CDC-approved face coverings can result in harassment and create safety concerns for people of color. King County, Metro, and the Metro Transit Police condemn racial profiling in the strongest terms across the transit system and throughout our community, and harassment based on race is illegal and will not be tolerated.
Public Health – Seattle & King County has developed a full FAQ about the Directive. Visit the Metro Matters blog for additional information and for transit-related questions and answers.
We thank you for your continued partnership. Don’t forget to visit our Community Partner Toolkit page for the most up-to-date Metro information and available in-language resources.
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