This morning, on Friday, June 19th, King County entered Phase 2 in Safe Start, and the easing of COVID-19 restrictions on businesses and activities. Most businesses will be required to operate at reduced capacity and hours, as well as maintaining certain standards of health and distancing. Gatherings will also be allowed, with people from outside your household, in limited numbers and with careful adherence to distancing requirements.
Fremont businesses are ready to re-open, and to meet and exceed regulations for cleanliness and occupancy. Many opened under Phase 1.5, but now they can welcome a few more customers at a time – and more can open.
- Fitness & Training – staffed indoor fitness studios and facilities providing personal training can open, including yoga, martial arts, and weight training can open, but not exceeding five participants per session. All trainers and clients will be required to wear cloth face coverings or face shields, and maintain six feet of distance whenever possible. No childcare, towel service or showers will be available, and all trainers will wash their hands/use hand sanitizer before and after each session. To see more requirements on the .pdf click here.
- Retail – Shops and boutiques can open allowing up to 30% of the building’s occupancy, and observing strict cleaning and distancing requirements. To see more on those requirements, click here.
- Libraries – All public libraries can open with services limited to mail and curbside pick-up. The library buildings, including the historic Fremont Library, must remain closed to the public. To see the Phase 2 requirements .pdf, click here.
- Hairstylists / Manicurists / Tattoo – All personal services are able to open, with 50% occupancy, and customers encouraged to use cloth face coverings while in store. Facilities must use barriers and avoid providing services in narrow, enclosed areas, which may delay the opening of some businesses as they modify their spaces. To read more about Phase 2 requirements on the .pdf, click here.
- Office-Based Occupations – Professional services have restricted guest/client occupancy to 50% of a building’s occupancy, although only one person is allowed for one-to-one consultations in fully enclosed rooms. To see Phase 2 requirements .pdf, click here.
- Religious/Faith Gatherings – All organizations may operate services, including worship services, classes, ceremonies (including weddings and funerals,) and holiday celebrations. Under Phase 2 guidance, indoor services are restricted to less than 25% capacity, or 200 individuals, as long as 6-feet of distance can be kept between people of different households. For more on the Phase 2 requirements, click here.
- Restaurants & Taverns – No bar seating is allowed, but all eating establishments can allow indoor occupancy up to 50% of capacity, and 50% of outdoor seating which does not count towards the building occupancy limit. To see the .pdf of Phase 2 requirements click here.
Of course, some businesses will not be able to operate under the requirements designated for their industry, and neither employees nor employers are required to work if they cannot feel safe and protected from the spread of coronavirus. For this reason, some businesses may remain closed even if their industry is allowed to open. Please be patient, and tolerant, with everyone’s comfort level and ability to follow the guidelines.
For now, Fremont is open and our business owners and staffers are working exhaustively to clean and care for their facilities, and bring them up to safety standards. The businesses are open, often in new and exciting ways, to serve customers and support their staff.
Please come visit, at your comfort, the Center of the Universe – this weekend or sometime soon! See you here!!