Reopening Professional Services
Under Phase 2 of Washington's Safe Start Plan, businesses and activities must follow certain health and safety requirements. For the most up-to-date reopening requirements visit the Governor Inslee's COVID-19 Reopening Guidance for Businesses and Workers website. To support reopening your business we've created a reopening checklist for general health and safety measures your business can take to ensure staff and customer safety. Download or view the checklist below.
Customer Health and Safety
Increase air flow
Increase ventilation when possible by opening windows, doors and using fans.
Add signs for walk-ups
Post a sign for walk-ups with business hours, phone number, and types of services.
Remind customers to wear face coverings
Ensure customers understand they should wear face coverings at all times except for when they're seated at their table or if they are under two years old or have a medical reason that makes it unsafe for them to wear one.
Re-arrange furniture
Keep all furniture six feet apart.
Reduce waiting room capacity
Reduce the number of people in the waiting room to 5 or fewer people (if applicable).
Clean high-use areas
Frequently clean and sanitize high use areas, restrooms, and any equipment used by employees.
Keep a voluntary customer log
Consider keeping a voluntary log of customers to help facilitate contract tracing. The log should include their name, phone number, and the date they visited the business.
Staff Health and Safety
Maintain physical distance
Ensure employees maintain six feet of physical distance. If that's not possible, stagger work schedules or create physical barriers between staff.
Frequently wash hands
Ensure frequent handwashing for including before and after going to the bathroom, before and after eating, and after coughing, sneezing, or blowing their nose. Use single-use disposable gloves when handwashing is not possible.
Health screen employees
Conduct health screening for employees for COVID-19 symptoms as soon as each employee shows up for work. If an employee does show symptoms, send them home immediately and deeply clean all areas/surfaces that employee touched.
Restrict entrances but stay accessible
Primary access to the business should be through the front door; restrict access to back doors or other entry points. If the accessible entrance is not through the front door, allow access through the accessible entrance.
Provide tissues, hand sanitizer, and trash cans
Place tissues, hand sanitizer, and trash cans throughout the workplace in places easily reached by people of all heights and abilities. Ensure trash cans do not block pathways of travel.
Provide Person Protective Equipment (PPE)
Provide employees free face coverings and disposable gloves.
Buy Face Coverings
Monitor health and safety
Assign a COVID-19 supervisor for each shift whose sole role is to oversee employee health and safety and ensure proper cleaning, hygiene, and screening protocols are followed.
Post safety information
COVID-19 safety information, hygienic practices, and requirements should be visibly posted (including reminders to wash hands for 20 seconds, use hand sanitizer, and use single use gloves when other methods of hand cleaning are not available)
One person per vehicle
Two or more people should travel in separate vehicles.
Find more guidelines and resources
Get information about outdoor permits, financial resources, evictions, paid sick and safe time, and more resources that apply to all reopening businesses.