Washington Governor Jay Inslee will end the statewide COVID-19 emergency declaration on October 31, 2022, and rescind all remaining COVID-19 emergency proclamations. Despite the governor’s action, however, Washington’s Health...more
Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed the Health Emergency Labor Standards Act (HELSA) on May 11, 2021. HELSA went into effect immediately and applies to workplaces only during a declared public health emergency involving an...more
On May 11, 2021, Governor Inslee signed into law the Health Emergency Labor Standards Act. The Act revises the state’s workers’ compensation and industrial health and safety statutes to provide new protections for high risk...more
Governor Jay Inslee recently signed the Health Emergency Labor Standards Act (HELSA or the Act), a sweeping worker protection bill recently passed by the state legislature. The Act amends the state’s worker’s compensation and...more
On May 21, 2021, the Washington Department of Labor & Industries (“L&I”) published new guidance regarding fully vaccinated workers. The new guidance will help employers adjust masking policies to meet the new Centers for...more
On May 11, 2021, Washington State Governor Jay Inslee signed into law SB 5115, the Health Emergency Labor Standards Act (HELSA), which expands the workers’ compensation framework for infectious and contagious diseases and...more
To address the spread of COVID-19, Washington State Governor Jay Inslee has rolled back some of the phased reopening rules in this state. The new amended Proclamation and accompanying guidance mandate several statewide...more
Washington Governor Inslee recently modified the statewide phased reopening plan with a Safe Start County-by-County plan – while also imposing new requirements on all employers by industry. The new plan gives individual...more
Washington Governor Inslee just issued a restaurant/tavern guidance to help your business prepare for Phase II of his progressive, four-phase plan to reopen the state. These new guidelines allow restaurants to re-open for...more
Washington Governor Inslee just issued a proclamation to kick off the four-phase plan to reopen the state, titled Safe Start Washington: A Phased Approach to Recovery. Each detailed phase of the plan allows additional...more
The recent COVID-19 outbreak poses numerous challenges for employers, including how to navigate the already complex requirements imposed by Washington state’s various employment and leave laws. Below we address some of the...more
Washington’s Governor Jay Inslee just issued temporary Proclamation 20-46 that requires employers to provide high-risk workers an alternative work assignment if requested to prevent exposure to COVID-19. If one is not...more
Governor Jay Inslee has ordered that all Washington employers immediately implement additional protections for “high-risk” workers through at least 11:59 p.m. on June 12, 2020. On April 13, 2020, Governor Inslee issued...more
Our Seattle office has continued to update our guidance to respond to commonly asked questions and local resources for Washington employers... Do we have to close our business per the governor’s March 23 Proclamation? It...more
On March 25, 2020, Washington Governor Jay Inslee issued a memorandum that provided members of the construction industry with additional guidance regarding the Stay Home, Stay Healthy Proclamation (20-25) issued on March 23,...more
On March 23, 2020, Washington’s Governor, Jay Inslee, issued Executive Order 20-25 requiring all people in Washington to “Stay Home” to prevent further spread of COVID-19. Until midnight on April 6, 2020, unless extended,...more
On March 23, 2020, Washington State Governor Jay Inslee signed the Stay Home – Stay Healthy Order (Proclamation 20-25, the “Order,” linked here) directing Washingtonians to shelter in place. The Order follows similar state...more
Today, Governor Jay Inslee issued a statewide emergency proclamation ordering a statewide closure of all on-site food or beverage services, including on-site and off-site brewery, winery, and distillery taprooms and tasting...more
With Governor Inslee’s announcement Sunday evening that he would be issuing an Emergency Proclamation ordering the closure of restaurants, bars, and entertainment and recreational facilities, all Washington businesses have...more
Today, Governor Jay Inslee issued a statewide emergency proclamation to order a temporary statewide closure of all on-site food or beverage services including restaurants, bars and entertainment and recreational facilities....more