Gov. Inslee: Penalties will be ‘significant’ for restaurants flouting COVID rules

After announcing a three-week extension of statewide limits on indoor dining and gatherings, Gov. Jay Inslee warned that restaurants in violation of those restrictions will face steep penalties.

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“The enforcement mechanisms will be significant,” Inslee cautioned. “We need to have compliance, and we will act accordingly to move toward that.”

Inslee noted Tuesday that “the vast majority” of businesses have been complying with Washington’s COVID restrictions, with a few exceptions. That includes Spiffy’s Restaurant in Chehalis, which has vowed to stay fully open for indoor dining.

Spiffy’s now faces a $9,000 fine for every day it stays open in defiance of Gov. Inslee’s restrictions, currently totaling upwards of $60,000 and counting. The restaurant’s owner, Rod Samuelson, told KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson on Tuesday that he is refusing to pay those fines, and expects to “end up in court” over the situation before it’s all said and done.

Samuelson said that there are “a couple groups” willing to represent him for any potential court proceedings, and that he is remaining open because “the people are looking for somebody to rally around.”

“They just want somebody to stand up and be that person,” he said, claiming that there are “a ton” of other businesses “flying under the radar” in defying the governor’s restrictions.

Defending his restrictions Tuesday, Inslee cited several studies that indicate COVID-19 infection rates are higher when restaurants allow indoor dining.

“It is beyond a reasonable doubt that infections take place in restaurants,” he said. “A restaurant is a place where people speak to each other in close proximity for long periods of time, and that’s just a scientific reality.”

“In a clothing store, you can mitigate that by standing farther apart with a mask — you can’t do that in a restaurant with indoor dining,” he added. “There are just things that can’t be mitigated in a restaurant.”

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The rules Inslee outlined Tuesday are the extension of the announcement made in November, which had been set to remain in effect until at least Dec. 14. The rules were put in place before the Thanksgiving holiday, hoping to further discourage people from gathering in large groups with family and friends.

The newly-enacted three-week extension starts from the original Dec. 14 end date, which puts the new end date at Jan. 4. Gov. Inslee says it’s possible the state could “recalibrate” before Jan. 4, if there is significant improvement.

In the short term, Inslee also said that “there is at least some suggestion” that these restrictions have been “having a positive impact” on reducing infections, with more details expected to come during a Wednesday briefing from the state Department of Health.

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