Today, Governor Inslee rolled out a four-phase reopening plan for Washington that also extended the current “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order through May 31st: https://coronavirus.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2020-05/PhasedReopeningChart.pdf

Under this plan, certain types of business activities can reopen in each phase, given that the state is meeting key data benchmarks, as detailed on the Governor’s website here: https://medium.com/wagovernor/inslee-rolls-out-covid-19-risk-assessment-dashboard-with-data-6bc5bc79324d

Counties with low instances of COVID-19 can apply for waivers to lift the Governor’s “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order. Other local governments retain the authority to impose stricter measures to contain the spread of the virus should their community conditions warrant such a change.

What does this mean for Ports? Restrictions in place now will remain in place at least through May 31st. Beyond that, different Ports will be operating under varying levels of restriction, depending on local guidelines. In every phase, Ports and all employers need be prepared to follow requirements for social distancing, sanitation, gathering size and personal protective equipment per this phased plan.

At our upcoming Tuesday Roundtable on May 5th at 11am, we will be discussing Human Resources concerns in the COVID-19 environment- tackling issues like telework policies, health and sanitation concerns, and more.

Join this Tuesday’s meeting at 11am: https://zoom.us/j/3709429295 (or join by phone:  (301) 715-8592  Meeting ID: 370 942 9295)