King County program ensures Safe Start compliance at restaurants, taverns
Aug 10, 2020, 9:21 AM | Updated: Oct 7, 2024, 8:48 am
People wait outside a brewery for a seat at a bar in the Short North District on July 31, 2020 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Matthew Hatcher/Getty Images)
(Photo by Matthew Hatcher/Getty Images)
King County is in Phase 2 of Gov. Inslee’s Safe Start reopening plan, but there have been some concerning trends now that more restaurants and bars have started to open up, possibly driving the spread of COVID-19. The county has started a new education and enforcement initiative to make sure food establishments are in compliance with COVID-19 guidelines, protecting customers and employees.
Gov. Inslee tightens restrictions for weddings, funerals, restaurants, bars, gyms
The initiative is called the Safe Start for Taverns and Restaurants (SSTAR), and is led by Public Health’s Environmental Health Services Division. The goal of the program is to keep businesses open and help move the county forward through the phases.
“Safe Start for Taverns and Restaurants program conducts visits at restaurants, bars, and taverns throughout King County,” said King County Public Health Director Patty Hayes. “Leading with education, our environmental health experts will assist food establishment owners to understand the safe start requirements during our Phase 2 operations, as well as identify and enforce where corrective action may be necessary.”
There are nine measures that SSTAR is assessing from the state’s guidance for restaurants and taverns:
- Employee health screening
- Employee face covering usage
- Employee social distancing practices
- Proper sanitation procedures
- Collection of customer contact information
- Compliance with seating capacity
- Prohibiting seating at bar service counters
- Customer face covering usage
- Customer social distancing practices
Each measure will be assessed as full, partial, or out of compliance.
There have been 423 completed inspections so far under the SSTAR program. Most establishments had fully or partially implemented preventative measures, according to Public Health Insider, and very few failed to establish any Safe Start plan to prevent the spread of the virus.
For those that had not implemented plans, experts conducted a return visit and reported that all of them had made “significant effort” to implement safety measures.
Instead of relying on voluntary compliance, SSTAR is working closely with food establishments to bring them into compliance. If corrective action is necessary, establishments have 72 hours to make the adjustments. If they fail to take the appropriate actions, their permit will be suspended until steps toward compliance are taken. The names of places with suspended permits will be disclosed on Public Health’s website.
Local restaurant owner unsure how anyone will stay in business if restrictions remain
When an immediate health hazard is identified, such as workplace transmission of COVID-19, the establishments’ permit will be suspended immediately to halt transmission.
Public Health will also highlight businesses where these prevention measures are being met or exceeded.
