Reopening in Phase 2

Snohomish County has been working hard to enter Phase 2. We know you are anxious for information regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, and its effect on restaurant closures in Snohomish County. Information regarding COVID-19 changes rapidly as the virus becomes more understood, and many policy decisions are made at the state level.

Our Health Officer, Dr. Spitters, released this statement to the media last week:
“Things are moving in the right direction, and we believe that we currently have the infrastructure, plans and partnerships in place to enter into Phase 2 with reasonable confidence that we can continue to suppress transmission of the virus. It is important to caution that whenever Snohomish County is approved to move to Phase 2, this does not signal a green light to resume all “normal activities.” We are still relying on residents and businesses to follow the guidelines for social distancing, face covering and limitations on activity to prevent an abrupt resurgence in cases, stay in Phase 2, and hopefully continue to progress forward safely.”

The Snohomish Health District sent a letter to operators about the requirements for the phased approach for reopening onsite dining. That letter and resources can be found on our website. http://www.snohd.org/CivicSend/ViewMessage/message/114333. The State Department of Health has also created a list to help prepare for reopening or resuming onsite dining in Phase 2. They will provide more details as they develop specific guidance, but they encourage you to begin planning now. The following suggestions are for planning purposes only as they may not all be required in your area:

Equipment & Physical Structure

Food establishments that closed kitchen or dining areas should consider the following things when reopening:

Make sure utilities are working.
Flush water and all plumbed food equipment following statewide guidelines that will be made available in the near future.
Assess and discard food that is no longer safe.
Check that all equipment is functioning properly and maintaining proper temperatures.
Wash, rinse, and sanitize all food contact surfaces.
Clean and sanitize dining area.

Employee Health & Safety

There will likely be additional employee health monitoring and protection measures required even if the governor releases the order. Consider how your business could implement the following:

Screen employees for symptoms of COVID-19, to include presence of fever.
Train workers on symptoms of COVID-19 illness and on required hand hygiene.
Ensure handwashing sinks are stocked and antimicrobial hand gel is available.
Ensure 6 feet of distance between employees in both back and front of house.
Requiring cloth facial coverings for employees, especially if they are unable to stay at least 6 feet from others.
Stagger work schedules as much as possible to reduce employee contact with each other.

Customer Protections

Allowing on-premises dining will likely require additional changes to ensure customer safety. Be prepared in case any of the following are required:

Post menu options or provide disposable menus.
Clean and disinfect touchpoints frequently, including all surfaces at each table.
Self-service food bars and self-service fountain drinks may still be restricted.
Remove as many self-service condiment dispensers from tables or shared areas as possible.
Disinfect condiment containers after each dining group.
Ensure dining groups are seated at least 6 feet apart and remove or block extra seating.
Use reservations or other metering system to ensure establishment operates at no more than 50% capacity.
Utilize contactless payment systems, automated ordering and mobile pay or provide handwashing or hand gel for employees handling payment.
Disinfect all touchpads after each use.

The Snohomish Health District strives to communicate often so that you have the information you need to run your business. Information for food operators can be found on our website at www.snohd.org/492/COVID-19-Info-for-BusinessesEmployers, and we also encourage you to follow the Health District on Facebook for up-to-date press releases and blog posts.

Snohomish Health District
Customer Service

Our customer service desk remains closed at this time. However, you are able to reach customer service by phone Monday-Friday from 8am – 5pm. The customer service phone number is 425.339.5250. We also encourage you to take advantage of our online services to submit applications or complaints, check status of pending applications, pay fees and view inspection histories.
Our online services allow you to:

View inspection reports for food establishments, public pools and spas
Submit complaints related to food, garbage, sewage, and more
View application status
Submit plan review applications for food establishments, pools and schools
Submit temporary food booth applications
View plan review application status
View septic application status
Allow funeral homes and billed water systems to pay their monthly bill online
Pay for septic permits
Pay for re-inspection fees, renewal invoices, and annual permits.

Some services require creating an account to allow account holders to link to their facilities. Not only will this allow access to a history of applications submitted, permits held, and inspection reports, users will also get notifications when an invoice is due with the ability to pay the invoice online. These capabilities can be found on our website under Online Services. https://www.snohd.org/281/Online-Services

You can also submit birth and death certificate orders to VitalChek through our website. https://www.snohd.org/467/Birth-Death-Certificates

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Donating Food

The first step in making a food donation is ensuring that it can be done safely. Carefully assess your capacity to store foods in a freezer, commercial refrigerator or in your dry storage areas away from heat, pests and other sources of contamination. The foods you choose to donate must be in a food-grade package, cannot have been previously served to a customer and, if it requires temperature control for safety (perishable foods), it must have been held at proper temperatures throughout the lifespan of the food. Making sure that all of these factors have been controlled, you are protected from liability under the Good Samaritan Food Donation Act.

Once you have determined that you have the ability to safely make food donations, partner with a local hunger relief organization to find out what foods they need and coordinate pickup or delivery times. Make sure that the vehicle used to transport donations is clean, insulated or even temperature-controlled if you are delivering perishable items (especially on hot, sunny days). Always maintain detailed records of food handling activities, storage and transport conditions to demonstrate the safety and wholesomeness of your donated products. For more details, visit the Washington State DOH webpage on food donation or contact your area food inspector.

Staphylococcus aureus

Staphylococcus aureus (Staph) is a bacteria that can be found in meats that have not been properly stored, cream pastries, and salads that contain TCS foods, such as potato, chicken or egg salad. Staph can be found in humans, on their hands or in wounds. This means that foods that require a lot of handling are another place that Staph can be found. The bacteria creates a toxin, which is what makes a person ill. Cooking does not destroy the toxin, so it is important to handle potentially hazardous foods properly at all times. People usually get sick 1-6 hours after eating the toxin. The symptoms of Staph are nausea, vomiting, and abdominal cramps.

To reduce the chance of illness, all food workers should practice good personal hygiene and cover wounds. Wash hands before touching ready-to-eat foods. Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold. Cool foods properly. Use the shallow pan method and make sure that the food is uncovered and no more than two inches thick while cooling. Foods should also be reheated quickly so they can reach 165° F within two hours. These measures keep food out of the danger zone (41° F - 135° F) as much as possible and reduce the amount of time the bacteria can grow and create toxins.