Governor Jay Inslee says he will no longer require businesses to keep a daily log of customers when they reopen, however, he is asking customers to voluntarily provide their information.
"We are asking visitors to voluntarily provide contact information in case of COVID-19 exposure. 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," explained Gov. Inslee in a statement Friday.
Inslee said the information would be used so health officials could contact people and explain the risk, answer any questions, and provide resources. The information wouldn't be used for any other purposes, such as sales or marketing.
The governor also added that if the information is not used within 30 days, it will be destroyed.
Kate Willman, general manager of Eight Row, says she heard about the governor's new guidance.
“We are definitely always looking out for what the governor is putting out, we anxiously want to reopen, but of course want to do so in the safest way for everybody.”
The governor's rule change comes just days after he issued guidelines saying a daily log of customers would be required for restaurants reopening to help with contact tracing, which is a way to monitor contacts of infected people.
Other businesses, such as car washes were also required to keep a daily log of customers.
Earlier this week, Gov. Inslee outlined a state plan for coronavirus contact tracing, saying nearly 1,400 people were being trained to help with the effort.
Contact tracers include those serving with the National Guard, Department of Licensing, and state and local health officials.
Participation in any contact tracing is voluntary, said Amy Reynolds with the state's Department of Health. Reynolds said while the state hopes people will cooperate to help protect the health of loved ones and others who may have been exposed, a patient has the right to refuse to share information with contact tracers.
Contact tracing is another step toward reopening the economy and lifting social distancing restrictions in the state.
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