New COVID-19 restrictions on dining, gyms in Washington

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced on Sunday new restrictions on businesses and social gatherings for the next four weeks as the state continues to combat a rising number of coronavirus cases.

Starting at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, a host of businesses must close their indoor services, including fitness facilities and gyms, bowling centers, and movie theaters. Retail stores, including grocery stores, must limit indoor capacity to 25%.

Indoor social gatherings with people from more than one household are also prohibited unless attendees have either quarantined for 14 days before the gathering or tested negative for COVID-19 and have quarantined for seven days.

By Wednesday, restaurants and bars will be limited to outdoor dining and to-go service.

In prepared remarks for a Sunday morning news conference, Inslee said the state is facing a third wave of the virus and the state was in “as dangerous a position as we were in March, when we first stayed home to stay healthy.”

“And it means, unfortunately, the time has come to reinstate restrictions on activities statewide to preserve the public’s well-being, and to save lives," he said.

While weddings and funerals can still occur, starting Tuesday, ceremonies are limited to no more than 30 people and receptions are prohibited.

Real estate open houses will be prohibited, personal services — like hair salons — will be limited to 25% of maximum occupancy and professional services are required to mandate remote work when possible, and when not, to be restricted to 25% occupancy.

Under the new restrictions, only outdoor visits will be allowed at long-term care facilities and religious services will be capped at either 25% indoor occupancy or 200 people, whichever is fewer.

The state was under a stay-at-home order from March 23 until the end of May. All of Washington’s 39 counties have been paused in either the second or third phase of a four-stage reopening plan that began in early May to start lifting restrictions on businesses and other activities. The governor's announcement Sunday temporarily rolls back all counties so that they are under the same guidelines.