Hundreds of reports on businesses violating COVID rules flood Washington agencies daily

Washington agencies are receiving hundreds of complaints about businesses around the state that are violating COVID-19 restrictions each day, according to a spokesman for the Department of Labor and Industries.

Tim Church, a spokesman for the agency, told McClatchy News in an email that they started getting “a lot of complaints in the spring, but that leveled out to about 200 a day during the late summer.” But “when new restrictions were announced in mid-November, complaints jumped to 500 a day or more (average of 533 a day),” according to Church.

Gov. Jay Inslee enacted updated restrictions on Nov. 16, which will remain until Jan. 4, according to COVID-19 Guidance from the state. Most indoor services for restaurants, gyms, movie theaters, etc. are prohibited under the order, the guidance states

While the number has dropped recently, the state’s Emergency Operations Center was still getting an average of about 329 complaints a day in the last week, according to Church.

“There are a few caveats to this number, we have cited 40 [to] 50 businesses for COVID violations as a result of complaints to the Emergency Operations Center,” Church said.

Most of the businesses cited for violating restrictions are “for masking/related violations like public masking, lack of signage or employee masking,” Church wrote. About 17 of the businesses have been cited for “Safe Start violations (being open when they should not be or providing a service that is not allowed),” according to Church’s email.

At least two businesses have been the subject of more than 100 complaints each since COVID-19 restrictions were put in place at the beginning of the pandemic, according to Church.

Fairway Cafe in Lynden had a flood of complaints come in a very short amount of time, Church said. The department has received a variety of complaints about the cafe, including being open for indoor dining and not enforcing mask use for customers or employees, according to Church.

The restaurant started offering takeout only after a Whatcom County Superior Court Judge issued a temporary restraining order requiring the cafe to comply with the state’s restrictions, Church said. Church told McClatchy on Dec. 3 it’s the only business that forced the department to take this action.

“We are living in very interesting times. Small businesses are taking hits left and right while the big box stores make billions of dollars,” Fairway Cafe said in a Dec. 3 Facebook post. “ALL people trying to earn a living to support their families are essential. ALL businesses providing a service to their communities and a reliable income to their employees are essential.”

That One Place, a diner in Port Orchard, also has been the subject of about 130 complaints filed with the Liquor and Cannabis Board, Church said. The restaurant opened for indoor dining on Dec. 3, according to its Facebook page, despite the state’s COVID-19 restrictions.

McClatchy News has reached out to That One Place for comment.

Spiffy’s, a restaurant in Chehalis, has been cited for “willfully” violating COVID-19 restrictions by opening for indoor dining, McClatchy News previously reported. The Department of Labor and Industries fined the restaurant $67,000 for the violations, according to the agency.

Church told McClatchy Spiffy’s has been the subject of 54 complaints.

Complaints can be filed online at coronavirus.wa.gov, according to Church. Once filed, the complaints are inputted into the state’s database and filtered to the appropriate agency, Church said.

This story was originally published December 11, 2020 at 1:57 PM with the headline "Hundreds of reports on businesses violating COVID rules flood Washington agencies daily."