Inslee issues guidance for limited in-store retail, manufacturing in phase 2

Gov. Jay Inslee has released a list of requirements for resuming limited in-store retail business under Phase 2 of his plan to reopen the remainder of Washington’s economy.

The guidance memo says in-store purchases will be allowed with restrictions including physical distancing, proper hygiene, and screening employees for symptoms.

Other requirements are:

• Ensure minimum 6-foot physical distancing requirements are maintained between customers, cashiers, baggers, and other staff except when collecting payments and/or exchanging goods.
• Ensure guest occupancy is 30% of maximum building occupancy or lower as determined by the fire code. This limit does not include employees in the calculation.
• Place distance markers outside of the facility to maintain 6-foot physical distancing requirements for customers waiting to enter. Assign employees to assist and monitor customers waiting to enter.
• Arrange the flow of customers to eliminate choke points and reduce crowding. Mark high-traffic areas with 6-foot markers to maintain physical distancing requirements.
• Frequently sanitize high-touch areas including customer restrooms, fitting rooms, doors, check-out counters, and shopping cart handles.

If the requirements are met, department stores, sporting-good stores, boutique stores and warehouse-style stores that serve other retail operations and public can reopen.

The guidance memo released Tuesday afternoon applies immediately to the eight counties that have received a variance from the governor’s office to move to phase 2. They are: Columbia, Garfield, Lincoln, Ferry, Pend Oreille, Wahkiakum, Skamania, and Stevens counties.

Those counties were eligible for a variance because they have a population of less than 75,000 and no new cases of COVID-19 in the last three weeks.

Phase 2 is set to begin in the rest of the state on June 1, but Inslee has said that date hinges on data about the new coronavirus pandemic in Washington and whether people continue to follow the strategy of social distancing.

Inslee also released a memo on the requirements for manufacturers that were deemed “non-essential” to reopen under phase 2.

This story was originally published May 13, 2020 at 8:04 AM.