King County to apply for modified Phase 1 to allow some businesses to reopen

Washington’s stay-home order lifts today, and King County Executive Dow Constantine will apply to move the county into a modified Phase 1, which would allow certain businesses to reopen.

As of today (June 1), all counties can apply to move to the next phase in the reopening scheme. The applications will be reviewed by John Wiesman, Secretary of Washington State Department of Health, who will check to see if certain target metrics are met.

The modified Phase 1 would allow construction and manufacturing, and outdoor recreation activities to resume under strict public health and safety guidance. The full guidelines can be found here, but a few of the changes would include the following:

• Restaurants: No indoor dining allowing. Outdoor dining is permitted but seating at 50% of existing outdoor capacity
• Recreation and fitness: Only allowed outdoor with 5 (not including the instructor) or fewer people outside of household
• Gatherings: Only allowed outdoor of 5 or fewer people outside the household
• Real estate: 25% of building occupancy. Indoor services limited to 30 minutes
• In-store Retail: 15% of building occupancy. Indoor services limited to 30 minutes
• Pet grooming: 25% of building occupancy

In order to move to the next phase in the reopening plan, counties will have to demonstrate they can safely allow additional economic activity based on metrics and a holistic review of their COVID-19 activity and ability to respond.

As of last week, 26 counties were approved to move to Phase 2. Counties in Phase 2 must be in that phase for a minimum of three weeks before becoming eligible for Phase 3.

“As we are nearing the Governor’s identified targets on testing and cases, I believe that Seattle and King County are ready to enter a modified Phase One approach to reopening additional businesses,” Mayor Jenny Durkan said in a news release. “We aren’t out of the woods yet. This virus knows no boundaries and resurgence can happen quickly and exponentially if we don’t all do our part. As we begin to reopen our economy, businesses, and cultural institutions, we cannot relax all restrictions simultaneously.”