Today an order by Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan and King County Executive Dow Constantine goes into effect mandating that all Seattle and King County residents wear face coverings over their mouth and noses while inside businesses or public transit. Face coverings must also be worn outside where social distancing isn’t possible. In many Asian countries (like Taiwan where my family is from), mask-wearing for health and safety has long been a cultural norm. But how will Americans deal with this unfamiliar new normal?
Asian grocery store chain Uwajimaya starts requiring face coverings in all their locations pre-emptively on May 11, 2020.
Plexiglass barriers to protect workers, like those seen here to protect cashiers at Renton Uwajimaya, become an increasingly common sight.
As re-opening begins, businesses try to adapt to the times and keep their patrons safe. At T&T Seafood in Edmonds, chairs are organized to space customers at least 6-feet apart when ordering and picking up takeout.
Signs at Kubota Garden in South Seattle warn visitors to maintain safe social distance, avoid congregating in groups, and keep moving.
300-acre Seward Park in South Seattle is usually swarming with cars, bikes, and other wheeled vehicles. But in the late stages of quarantine, the parking lot has been closed for weeks and the 2.6-mile loop around the park peninsula has been restricted to pedestrians only to minimize crowding.