Inslee announces clarification to restaurant and summer camp guidance
By Officer of the Governor | Press release

OLYMPIA, Wash., JULY 31, 2020 — Gov. Jay Inslee today announced updates to the July 24 guidance for restaurants, taverns, breweries, wineries and distilleries as part of Washington’s Safe Start phased reopening plan.

Changes include clarification about which establishments can offer indoor seating, temporary outdoor seating guidance and counter-style seating clarifications. 

Summary of July 24 and July 31 changes

This guidance is expanded to cover restaurants, taverns, breweries, wineries, and distilleries.

• Alcohol service at all establishments must end at 10:00 p.m. until Phase 4.
• Vending and other game areas, including billiards, darts, and video games, are prohibited until Phase 4.
• In Phase 3, table size is reduced to five (5) individuals, and occupancy is reduced to 50 percent.
• Bar-area seating is prohibited in all phases. Counter-style seating permitted in other areas.
• Indoor service at taverns, breweries, wineries, and distilleries is prohibited until Phase 4 unless certain food service is provided.
• Any permitted indoor dining is limited to members of the same household until Phase 4.

Restaurants, taverns, breweries, wineries and distilleries must adopt a written procedure that is at least as strict as the requirements in this document and that complies with the appropriate safety and health requirements and guidelines established by the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries and the Washington State Department of Health.

Prior to recommencing on-site services, all owners are required to develop at each establishment, a comprehensive COVID-19 exposure control, mitigation, and recovery plan which must be adhered to. A site-specific COVID-19 monitor shall be designated at each location to monitor the health of individuals and enforce the COVID-19 job site safety plan. A copy of the plan must be available at all locations and available for inspection by state and local authorities. Failure to meet this requirement may result in sanctions up to, and including, license suspension.

Read the full restaurants, taverns, breweries, wineries and distilleries guidance document here. Read the attached memo here. 

Overnight Group Summer Camps and Similar Activities Guidance

Inslee also released additional guidance related to overnight group summer camps. 

Per the guidance, overnight group summer camps or similar activities must ensure strict adherence to all measures established by the Governor’s guidance, the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) Coronavirus (COVID-19) Prevention: General Requirements and Prevention Ideas for Workplaces, and the Washington State Department of Health Workplace and Employer Resources & Recommendations (DOH). 

Read the full overnight group summer camps guidance here. Read the attached memo here. 

Find a full list of current reopening guidance here. 

Contact Tracing Proclamation

On July 30, Gov. Jay Inslee issued a proclamation related to the state’s contact tracing efforts and personal information protection. 

Proclamation 20-64 exempts personally identifiable information collected by COVID-19 case investigators from public disclosure. The proclamation does not provide additional exemptions for employees or volunteers who are conducting the contact tracing work, as the Public Records Act already exempts many types of personal information relating to public employees and volunteers.     

“The success of the response to the COVID-19 epidemic depends in part on the free flow of information and individuals’ willingness to share information and cooperate with public health authorities,” Inslee said. “Ensuring the protection of a person’s personally identifiable information may determine whether that person will fully cooperate with COVID-19 case investigators and contact tracers.”

“While we believe that COVID-19 case investigation and contact tracing information, and the personally identifiable information that is gathered as a part of that work, is already exempt under the Public Records Act, we need certainty because ensuring the protection of a person’s personally identifiable information is critical to our COVID-19 efforts,” said Secretary of Health John Wiesman.

The proclamation will expire on August 29. Read the full proclamation here.