Gov. Jay Inslee removed a requirmenet for restaurants to obtain contact information for all customers in the case of COVID-19 exposure. | Facebook
Gov. Jay Inslee removed a requirmenet for restaurants to obtain contact information for all customers in the case of COVID-19 exposure. | Facebook
In the Safe Start order for Washington, Gov. Jay Inslee initially required that restaurants keep a log of customers when they reopen.
That requirement has since been lifted and customers are no longer required to provide restaurants with their contact information during Phase 2 of reopening, according to Fox News.
"We are asking visitors to voluntarily provide contact information in case of COVID-19 exposure,” Inslee said in a statement. “We only need information for one person per household. If we learn you may have been exposed to COVID-19 during your visit, the information will only be shared with public health officials."
Health officials will contact individuals to explain the risk, answer questions and provide resources, Fox News reported. The information will not be used for any other purposes and will be destroyed in 30 days if not used.
The original guidelines required that restaurants collect the name, contact information and time of entry to help with contact tracing. But restaurant owners feared customers would refuse to provide information. The American Civil Liberties Union called the measure a risk "to people’s fundamental rights to privacy and association," according to Fox News.
Guidelines that will be enforced in restaurants include no more than five guests per table, tables must be six feet apart and capacity must be reduced by 50% indoors.
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