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On Monday, King County Health Officer, Dr. Jeff Duchin, issued a Health Officer Directive which strongly urges individuals at indoor or confined outdoor public settings to use face coverings over their nose and mouth. Wearing a face covering can help prevent the spread of infection to others by blocking infectious droplets from spreading when someone with the infection coughs, sneezes and speaks.
Because face masks, such as N95 respirators, continue to be reserved for health care workers, residents should use fabric coverings such as cloth masks, scarves or bandanas. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides tips on how to make your own cloth face covering.
Read more about FAQs, who and where the directive applies to, as well as the exceptions that exist at www.kingcounty.gov/masks.
 New Metro Transit face covering requirements
Executive Constantine also announced that riders and operators on King County Metro will be required to wear face coverings. Metro operators will not prevent passengers without face coverings from boarding, but recorded reminders will play on Metro vehicle public address systems informing riders of the face covering policy. Read more about this on Metro’s blog at https://kingcountymetro.blog/2020/05/11/new-public-health-directive-requires-masks-or-face-coverings-on-transit/
Second King County COVID-19 budget passed by Council today
Today the King County Council approved nearly $60 million in supplemental funding for continued response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nearly four-fifths of this budget funds our county’s COVID-19 response, which has received national recognition. I’m proud to support the robust investments required to continue and grow our response moving forward.
One highlight in the budget is $1 million for youth experiencing homelessness who have unique challenges and needs that are exacerbated by the COVID-19 outbreak. After hearing concerns from community leaders that homeless youth services outside of Seattle were not receiving the support they need, I successfully advocated for the funding to help them keep homeless youth safe and healthy.
At the same time as we continue to respond to the public health challenges of COVID-19, we are at the beginning of a longer process to invest in the people and neighborhoods across King County. Today’s budget begins that work.
Stay home and spread the word!
Remember right now, physical distancing is the most important thing we can do to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Please forward this email widely and invite others to sign-up to my email updates to receive important and timely information for District 6 constituents.
Sincerely,
 Claudia Balducci
King County Council
Council Chair
District 6
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