Inslee Extends Eviction Moratorium; One Week Extension of Other Statewide Restrictions
For your general information, on Thursday, December 31 Governor Jay Inslee officially extends the governors Eviction Moratorium proclamation until March 31, 2020 and makes almost no substantive changes for small housing providers. The previous eviction moratorium was set to expire on December 31.
Please see the attached Proclamation 20-19.5 – Evictions and Related Housing Practices and the below press release for further information.
Inslee extends eviction moratorium
Today Gov. Jay Inslee formally issued an extension of the eviction moratorium, extending all existing provisions and making adjustments to provide additional support for landlords and property owners. The governor initially announced the extension last week.
Proclamation 20-19.5 extends state rental assistance programs to incorporate the newly approved federal funding for rental assistance. Furthermore, the stated goal of these rental assistance programs is modified to provide a path for landlords, property owners, and property managers to initiate an application for rental assistance. The proclamation also clarifies that landlords and property owners may communicate with tenants in support of their applications for rental assistance.
The eviction moratorium is extended through March 31, 2021.
Read the full proclamation here.
For your general information, on Wednesday, December 30 Governor Jay Inslee announced a one-week extension of statewide restrictions.
The recent extension was to expire on Monday, January 4 and it has moved to expire at 11:59 p.m. on Monday, January 11. This is almost nine months to the day that the initial Governor’s “Stay Home Stay Healthy” restrictions were set in place. This is also the first day of the 2021 Legislative Session.
Modifications to existing phased prohibitions include:
- Indoor Social Gatherings with people from outside your household are prohibited unless they (a) quarantine for fourteen days (14) prior to the social gathering; or (b) quarantine for seven (7) days prior to the social gathering and receive a negative COVID-19 test result no more than 48-hours prior to the gathering. A household is defined as individuals residing in the same domicile.
- Outdoor Social Gatherings shall be limited to five (5) people from outside your household. Restaurants and Bars are closed for indoor dine-in service. Outdoor dining and to-go service are permitted, provided that all outdoor dining must comply with the requirements of the Outdoor Dining Guidance here. Table size for outdoor dining is limited to a maximum of five (5) people. These modified restaurant and bar restrictions go into effect at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, November 18, 2020.
- Fitness Facilities and Gyms are closed for indoor operations. Outdoor fitness classes are permitted but are subject to and limited by the outdoor social gathering restriction listed above.
- Bowling Centers are closed for indoor service.
- Miscellaneous Venues: All retail activities and business meetings are prohibited. Only professional training and testing that cannot be performed remotely, as well as all court and judicial branch-related proceedings, are allowed. Occupancy in each meeting room is limited to 25 percent of indoor occupancy limits or 100 people, whichever is fewer. Miscellaneous venues include: convention/conference centers, designated meeting spaces in a hotel, events centers, fairgrounds, sporting arenas, nonprofit establishment, or a substantially similar venue.
- Movie Theaters are closed for indoor service. Drive-in movie theaters are permitted and must continue to follow current drive-in movie theater guidance.
- Museums/Zoos/Aquariums are closed for indoor service.
- Real Estate: Open houses are prohibited.
- Wedding and Funerals: Ceremonies are limited to a total of no more than 30 people. Indoor singing during the ceremony is prohibited. Indoor receptions, wakes, or similar gatherings in conjunction with such ceremonies are prohibited. Singing during an outdoor ceremony is permitted, so long as participants wear face coverings and otherwise comply with the Weddings and Funerals Guidance.
- In-Store Retail shall be limited to 25 percent of indoor occupancy limits, and common/congregate seating areas and indoor dining facilities such as food courts are closed.
- Religious Services are limited to 25 percent of indoor occupancy limits, with a recommended maximum of 200 people. Congregation members/attendees must wear facial coverings at all times, and indoor congregation singing is prohibited. No choir, band, or ensemble shall perform during the service, and congregation singing indoors is prohibited. Vocal or instrumental soloist performances are permitted with an accompanist so long as the performer wears a face covering. In the event the soloist is performing on a woodwind or brass instrument, the soloist may remove their face covering only during the performance. Both a soloist and the congregation are permitted to sing during outdoor services, so long as all singers wear face coverings while singing. Religious and Faith Based Organization Guidance can be found here.
- Professional Services are required to mandate that employees work from home when possible and close offices to the public if possible. Any office that must remain open must limit occupancy to 25 percent of indoor occupancy limits.
- Personal Services are limited to 25 percent of indoor occupancy limits. Personal service providers include: cosmetologists, cosmetology testing, hairstylists, barbers, estheticians, master estheticians, manicurists, nail salon workers, electrologists, permanent makeup artists, tanning salons, and tattoo artists.
- Long-term Care Facilities: Outdoor visits are permitted. Indoor visits are prohibited, but individual exceptions for an essential support person or end-of-life care are permitted. These restrictions are also extended to the facilities in Proclamation 20-74, et seq. All other provisions of Proclamations 20-66, et seq., and 20-74, et seq., including all preliminary criteria to allow any visitors, remain in effect.
- Youth and Adult Sporting Activities: Indoor activities and all contests and games are prohibited.
- Outdoor activities shall be limited to intra-team practices only, with facial coverings required for all coaches, volunteers and athletes at all times.
- Singing in Enclosed Spaces: In all other circumstances not specifically addressed in this order, group singing, with or without face coverings, with members who are outside of a person’s household is prohibited in enclosed, indoor spaces. Outdoor singing, while participants wear face coverings, is permitted, so long as the activity otherwise complies with guidance specific to that activity.
Please see the below press release and attached Proclamation by the Governor Amending Proclamations 20-05 and 20-25, et seq. 20-25.11 – “Stay Safe – Stay Healthy” Rollback of County-By-County Phased Opening – Responding to a COVID-19 Outbreak Surge, for further information.
Inslee announces one-week extension of statewide restrictions
Gov. Jay Inslee today announced a one-week extension of the "Stay Safe–Stay Healthy" proclamation, along with the statewide restrictions imposed. The extension of the statewide restrictions will now expire on January 11, 2021. No changes were made in the proclamation aside from the expiration date.
"Our consistent mission has been keeping Washingtonians safe and ensuring health care system and hospital capacity," Inslee said. "We understand the profound impact COVID is having on our healthcare system, families and businesses, but I am heartened by the number of Washingtonians who continue to do the right thing. If we continue distancing from others, wearing facial coverings and avoiding social gatherings, we will make it to the other side of this pandemic together.”
An updated reopening plan is currently being developed to provide a pathway for businesses and workers impacted by this order to reopen safely. The updated plan will be released next week.