
King County Plans to Apply for Modified Phase 1 COVID-19 Reopening
King County Executive Dow Constantine, in consultation with Public Health, Seattle and King County leaders, indicated that pending state approval, King County will begin to re-open some business activity with limited or modified openings for a number of sectors.
King County planned to submit an application for the modified phase of the Washington’s Safe Start reopening plan on Monday. By mid-day, the application had not yet been submitted, though once it has been submitted, the County expects the approval process by the state to take several days.
*Editor’s Note: The county submitted the plan on June 3rd.
The county issued a statement on Monday afternoon indicating, “We will issue updates as we have them once the application process is underway.”
Working with community, business, and government partners, including the County Council and Board of Health leadership, the County says it is prepared to move forward to allow limited or modified openings for several business sectors and personal activities.
King County has not yet met key criteria to enter Phase 2 of the Safe Start plan and case counts are still unstable, so it will move forward with a modified approach, including partial re-opening of such businesses and activities as small gatherings of outdoor fitness classes and others outside the household. Other modifications are expected encompass additional construction activities and manufacturing operations.
Real estate building occupancy will be set at 25% of occupancy, with 30-minutes of indoor services. In-store retail will be set at 15% of building occupancy, and services limited to 30 minutes. No indoor dining would be allowed at restaurants, though outdoor dining would be permitted with seating at 50% of existing outdoor capacity.
For comments, questions or concerns, please contact Dennis Kaiser