(Photo courtesy of Arnie s Restaurant Mukilteo/Facebook)
Will the governor’s newest reopening plan be the final nail in the coffin for many local restaurants? The Washington Hospitality Association calls the plan a roadmap to a near complete collapse of Main Street, neighborhood restaurants.
Steve Price, general manager and owner of Arnie’s Restaurant in Mukilteo, says the new plan was “disappointing news for the industry.”
“I understand the safety concerns, and it’s been very, very difficult,” Price said. “We’ve been off and on closed since March. We started off with about 300 plus employees, and we’re probably down to about 50. So it’s been a very difficult road.”
We watched the press conference, and have scoured this new Healthy Washington Plan. Here's what we've noticed is missing, how some of the wording is ambiguous, and more.
With a "rebranded" COVID shutdown, Governor Jay Inslee just reminded Washington he can't navigate the economy through the pandemic. What was presented as a reopening plan was just a way of telling us we're still closed.