Washington official gets threats, hate mail over COVID vaccine order for indoor dining

A health official in Washington’s Clallam County said she began receiving threats and hate mail after issuing a public health order last week requiring proof of vaccination for indoor dining.

“It’s been really scary,” Dr. Allison Berry, health officer for both Clallam and Jefferson counties, told KING 5 News. “It’s certainly affected my life, the way I take care of my child, the way I try to guarantee both of our safety and the way I do my job.”

The public health order, which went into effect on Sept. 4, said “all persons entering bars and restaurants” in Clallam and Jefferson counties must provide proof that they are fully vaccinated, meaning that at least 14 days have passed since they received a second dose of the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine or a singular dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Vaccination status can be proven by showing a physical vaccination card, a printed copy of a vaccination record from the State Department of Health, a photo of either of those documents or an app-based vaccine passport, the order said.

The only people exempt to the order are employees who continually wear masks indoors and children under 12, who are not yet eligible to be vaccinated.

“Indoor bars and restaurants are known to pose a high risk for COVID-19 transmission, as they encourage unmasking of large groups of people indoors,” Berry told KIRO 7 News. “Our goal is to make these safer places to be and to reduce transmission in our communities, allowing our hospitals to keep functioning and our schools to open more safely this fall.”

At a county meeting on Tuesday night, many residents from the two counties spoke about the mandate, either criticizing Berry and calling for her resignation or voicing their support for her, KING 5 reported.

The Clallam County Sheriff’s Office is investigating some of the comments made toward Berry, though it hasn’t found any to be in violation of criminal law so far, KING 5 reported. Officials with the sheriff’s office are also patrolling around Berry’s home, KIRO 7 reported.

For now, Berry is keeping away from her office out of concern for her safety. But she stands firmly by her decision, according to KING 5.

“I think for me, it’s important not to let people who would threaten public officials win,” she said, according to the news station.

Berry also said the order will help keep bars and restaurants open amid the spread of the coronavirus, including the highly transmissible delta variant.

“Given the ability of the delta variant to spread beyond 6 feet when people are unmasked indoors, we believe that a vaccine requirement will be more effective and less costly than the capacity limitations we saw last year,” Berry told KIRO 7. “We want to keep businesses open while protecting the public. This is how we do it.”

According to data from Clallam County’s website, there have been 1,232 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents in the last 14 days, meaning that the area is high risk by the state of Washington’s standards.

In Jefferson County, there were about 486 cases per 100,000 residents between Aug. 22 and Sept. 4.

“With hospitals around our region stretched to the breaking point, we need to do everything we can to keep our communities safe,” Berry told KIRO 7. “Getting vaccinated with this incredible vaccine, which is safe, effective, free and life-saving, is simply the right thing to do.”