Most restaurant workers in Washington probably aren’t vaccinated. Here’s why

UPDATE 3/18/2021: Gov. Inslee on Thursday expanded eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine to include restaurant workers, and those in manufacturing and construction. They will now be able to access the vaccine starting on March 31.

The server at your favorite Washington state restaurant has probably not received the COVID-19 vaccine, and is unlikely to be in line for it — despite facing customers in one of the only arenas where masks come off.

When Gov. Jay Inslee expanded vaccine eligibility of essential workers to include “critical workers in certain congregate settings” over the age of 16, looping in other food sectors like grocery stores and agriculture, restaurants remained in the cold.

As of March 17, people over 16 who are pregnant or who have certain disabilities that would increase the risk of severe illness from COVID-19 are also eligible, regardless of their job. Any Washington resident over the age of 50 with two or more underlying conditions that would exacerbate the effects of the virus will be eligible on April 12, dropping to age 16 on April 26, again with at least two comorbidities.

An otherwise healthy 40-year-old bartender, for instance, would not fall into these categories.

That timeline is subject to change since the state says it hopes to be able to meet President Joe Biden’s May 1 goal for all adults to have access to the vaccine.

The Department of Health “will do its best to make sure our updated eligibility makes that possible, assuming supply from the federal government continues on the up and up as we expect,” according to Mike Faulk, deputy communications director for the governor’s office.

While the Washington Hospitality Association — whose members include eateries, hotels and entertainment venues across the state — said the industry will continue to “provide a safe, highly regulated place for people to gather,” it has been simultaneously fighting the vaccine eligibility of its workers.

“Our restaurant and hospitality workers have been essential throughout the pandemic, yet will not have access to the vaccine along with other essential workers,” said president and CEO Anthony Anton in a statement following Thursday’s news of the March 22 jump to Phase 3, which increases indoor seating capacity at restaurants to 50 percent for the first time since last November.

“We are disappointed they are once again being left out and in fact being pushed further back in line as the first and second phases have expanded to include others,” Anton said March 4. “We aren’t asking to jump ahead of high risk and first responders; we are asking to be included with other essential food chain and housing workers.”

Faulk insisted there was no disconnect. Restaurants asked for additional capacity, he said, noting the phased reopening and COVID safety measures have contributed to a decline in case counts.

The vaccine eligibility schedule distinguishes between critical and essential workers in Tier 2, he told The News Tribune by email, with the former being in industries “critical to many aspects of society and the economy, from food production to public transit to places where people can buy essential items.”

In South Tacoma, The Mule Tavern owner Sam Halhuli appreciated the half-capacity boost but, as restaurateurs have lamented throughout the pandemic, the six-foot rule renders the increase moot in many cases. He is thankful to have a back patio, which he upgraded with a roof and heaters over the winter.

More than anything, like so many in hospitality, he wondered why he and his staff were not yet eligible for the vaccine.

The omission of hospitality workers is a “glaring hole,” said Anton, noting the diversity of the industry’s workforce — about 40 percent are Black, Indigenous and people of color, according to the hospitality association.

Working Washington, a labor advocacy group, believes that COVID safety rules “aren’t being adequately enforced,” according to spokesperson Sage Wilson, while many industry workers remain caught in the tangled web of delayed unemployment checks.

“Instead of picking and choosing what types of workers are ‘essential’ enough to be eligible for vaccines,” she told The News Tribune in an email, “we should follow the basic principle that anyone who is essential enough to be compelled to work in person should have equal access to the vaccine.”

Faulk acknowledged the impact of COVID-19 on restaurant workers’ health and finances, “But there are many critical choices to be made and no singularly perfect answer, especially when vaccine supply remains limited.”

On Monday, the hospitality association and the Seattle Restaurant Alliance sent the governor’s office a petition signed by more than 3,500 restaurant workers and owners asking their status to be reconsidered.

This story was originally published March 13, 2021 at 6:00 AM.