Reopening In-Store Retail
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
Maintain physical distance
Ensure customers can maintain six feet of physical distance. This is required for table service, food pickup, payment counters, and waiting areas that are inside and outside your establishment.
Post Safety Reminders
Place signage about social distancing and occupancy requirements throughout the store.
Offer high-risk hours
If possible, have designated hours for solely high-risk individuals.
Store used items for 24 hours
Any unpurchased items left in the fitting rooms should be removed and stored for no less than 24 hours before returning to the sales floor.
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.
Clean high-use areas
Frequently clean and sanitize high use areas, restrooms, and any equipment used by employees.
Clean fitting rooms
Fitting rooms should be cleaned after each use.
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.