UPDATE–Gov. Expands List of ‘Closed’ Businesses–Activities
At a Monday morning press conference, Gov. Jay Inslee and state officials outlined more specifics on what types of businesses are 'closed' due to his 'emergency order' concerning the Coronavirus, as well as activities 'banned' and the size of them.
Restaurants can now only provide take-out service, no in building dining. On college campuses that remain open, student food services will still be offered, but only for students to pick up and take to their dorm rooms.
The closure also applies to the following:
Coffee shops, doughnut shops, salons, barbers, tattoo parlors, theaters, bowling alleys, gyms, museums, art galleries, and youth sports among other activities. This would mean cancellation of area youth baseball and softball tournaments and leagues such as Kennewick National and American baseball, Greater Richland, and Richland National and Pasco Little League--and a slew of softball tournaments for girls teams.
We have reached out to various espresso and other convenience 'stands' to find out if closure affects just their inside operations, or if the drive through's are still open. The press conference was a little ambiguous on that.
UPDATE---from Roasters Coffee via Facebook Messenger: as of 12:30PM Monday.
"Our shops are still open. We will provide a full update later today. We are gathering all the information and meeting with our team. We will come back and give you a more detailed answer soon"
UPDATE---we have learned that coffee shops and espresso stands area going to "drive through only."
Establishments and business that will NOT be closed include:
Grocery stores or pharmacies, hardware stores, convenience stores, gas stations, banks, and shopping centers can also remain open.
However, these must adhere to no more than 50 people inside at a time. How that will be enforced remains to be seen.
No specific mention was made of motel or hotel venues. Inslee did not specify a minimum duration, or how long this situation will be in effect. He only referenced "the next few weeks."
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