Inslee Loosens COVID-19 Restrictions on Movie Theaters, Restaurants, Sports

OLYMPIA — Gov. Jay Inslee Tuesday loosened restrictions on many activities, from movie theaters to restaurants, sports, and real estate, under his four-part coronavirus reopening plan.

This is the biggest movement forward after Inslee this summer stopped all counties from advancing to further stages of reopening. Inslee told reporters today he wasn’t resuming those county-by-county reopenings, but said Tuesday’s measures are “targeted things to show how we can do this in a safe way” as businesses continue to suffer financial losses amid the pandemic. 

Clark County, and Washington state in general have seen COVID-19 case spikes like many states across the United States. Inslee addressed that concern by saying he would make another push to encourage face mask use statewide, and said the new measures were a way safely open up a little further.

“We believe that if we continue to increase our use of masks, and we hope that we’re heading in that direction, that will allow us to make these shifts to allow more social interactions,” said Inslee.

Tuesday’s announcement loosens many restrictions, including on restaurants, which have been hard hit by Inslee’s mandates. Counties in the second-phase — including Clark — or in the third phase can now serve alcohol up to 11 pm.

Restaurants may also boost their table size to six in the second phase, and to eight in the third phase. The restriction on tables being limited to members of one household is lifted, which Inslee acknowledged was difficult to enforce, pitting restaurant workers against customers on a regular basis.

Clark County can now have movie theaters operating at 25 percent capacity, according to the new guidelines. For counties in the third phase, those theaters can open at 50 percent capacity. Facial coverings and six feet of distance between households will be required.

“Hoping to open on Friday night but still have a few things to confirm, I’ll have a plan in place by mid day tomorrow,” said Rand Thornsley, owner of the Liberty Theatre in Downtown Camas.

Sports 

The new sports guidelines will align school related and non-school related sports guidance. Tournaments and crowds are prohibited in counties that aren’t in the low-risk category, but these guidelines will allow more school and non-school sports, both indoor and outdoor, according to a combination of local metrics. These metrics are aligned with state metrics for school opening recommendations. It also provides specific protocols for transportation, group size and facial coverings. 

Youth team sports and adult team sport guidance greatly expanded:

• Youth team sports now includes both school and non-school sports, both indoor and outdoor
• Adult recreational sports now includes both indoor and outdoor
• Sports are now divided into risk categories

Counties are now categorized by COVID-19 activity level measured by new cases per 100,000 residents in the previous two weeks and the percentage of positive tests.

Whether or not a sport is allowed, and to what degree it is allowed depends on a  combination of the risk category for the sport and the COVID risk category for the county in which the sport is to take place.

Tournaments and spectators are prohibited in any county that is not in the low-risk COVID-19 category.

Low risk sports: tennis, swimming, pickleball, golf, cross country, track and field, sideline/no-contact cheer and dance, disc golf.

Moderate risk sports: softball, baseball, t-ball, soccer, futsal, volleyball, lacrosse, flag football, ultimate frisbee, ice hockey, cricket, gymnastics, crew, field hockey, school bowling competitions.

High risk sports: football, rugby, wrestling, cheerleading with contact, dance with contact, basketball, water polo, martial arts competitions, roller derby.

Nearly all of Washington’s 39 counties are in the second or third phase of the governor’s reopening plan. No county is in the fourth phase.

As part of Tuesday’s announcement, the real estate sector can hold open houses with numbers allowable for each county’s size-limit for gatherings. Meanwhile, other guidelines will allow libraries to offer some more services.