As of May 2, masks are no longer required indoors with a few exceptions, but are strongly recommended.
The College will post updates to the current masking requirements here.
The College will comply with federal, state, and local guidance. The College will not be less restrictive
than those guidelines but may choose more stringent standards.
The College will use metrics as an objective measure to determine whether our masking guidelines
should be more restrictive than federal/state/local guidance.
Primary metric: King County Community Level. When the Community Level is designated “Low” as
determined by KC DOH data, masks will not be required while indoors; if the Community Level is
“Medium”, the College will assess other individual metrics, such as hospitalization rates, deaths, etc., to determine whether masks should be required. When the community level is High, masks will be
required on campus while indoors. For more information on how Community Level is determined, see
CDC measures based on new Covid-19 admissions per capita, percent of staffed inpatient beds occupied by Covid-19 patients, and total new cases per capita.
Additional Masking Guidelines when masks are NOT required
Until the CDC or WHO declares that COVID-19 is no longer a pandemic, masks are always highly
recommended while indoors.
Wearing a mask is a personal choice… people have MANY reasons for masking. Avoid making
assumptions about why people are wearing a mask, and please honor masking requests where possible. Except for a few reasons listed below, all employees, students and visitors will follow College masking guidance. Employees are not allowed to require others to mask in classrooms or meeting rooms. However, Employees may ask, but not require, others who enter a classroom or their own small, enclosed office or cubicle space to wear a mask. Employees must have masks available for others if asking them to mask.
- Masks will still be required in health care laboratory education settings, clinical settings, the Disability Resource Center, the Neurodiversity Center and mental health settings.
- Masks are required when instructed by HR (employees) or Student Affairs (students) in accordance with College COVID-19 guidance for those who have symptoms, were exposed or tested positive
- It is recommended that individuals who are at high-risk continue to wear masks.
- Masks may be required as part of internships, clinical placements or travel (this requirement would be set by an outside agency, such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) or the organization sponsoring the internship)
- Employees needing an accommodation should contact Human Resources; students should contact the Disability Resource Center
What to do if someone isn’t, but should be, wearing a mask
- First, begin with a polite verbal request for compliance to educate and persuade the individual
to wear a face covering. Employees should ask the individual to wear a mask or face covering
and have a supply of disposable facemasks to offer individuals who do not have one. - Next following a polite verbal request, if the individual continues to decline to wear a face
covering or facemask, personnel should notify the site manager to assist the customer with
determining if accommodations, such as curbside pickup, can be made. Also consider speaking
with your supervisor or filling out a COVID infraction report. - Lastly, if the individual refuses to wear a face covering and does not indicate a medical condition
or disability that prevents them from wearing a face covering, they should be politely informed
that they are not permitted to enter and be asked to leave. Personnel should not attempt to
physically block an individual or physically remove them from the space and should avoid
confrontation but should not provide service. Public Safety may be called for help as a last
resort.
Last Updated August 19, 2022