Washington Governor Jay Inslee’s Phase 3 news is a welcome update for the Washington State Hospitality Association.
Washington State Hospitality Association president and CEO Anthony Anton says increased capacity for restaurants will be a huge boost for the industry. However, he’s concerned that restaurant and hospitality workers are not included in the next round of eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine.
Anton’s full statement reads as follows:
“We celebrate today’s announcement by the governor that restaurants can open to 50 percent indoor capacity — this will benefit both the health of our state and of our industry. Since restaurants have been opened in our state, cases have continued to drop. This is a testament to our rigorous safety standards and practices, which are among the most strict in the nation. We know from extensive data from other states that reopening at 50 percent indoor capacity is the safest option, and we are confident that cases will continue to drop in our state.”
“We look forward to continuing to provide a safe, highly regulated place for people to gather and help stop the spread of COVID. And we ask that you do your part to keep our team members healthy: Our restaurant and hospitality workers have been essential throughout the pandemic, yet will not have access to the vaccine along with other essential workers. We are working to correct this and hope we can find a solution quickly.”
Washington will move into Phase 3 on March 22. Phase 1B – Tier 2 of the state’s vaccine eligibility will begin on March 17.
