March 23, 2020

Stay Home, Stay Safe Proclamation (No. 20-25)

On March 23, 2020, Governor Inslee issued the Stay Home, Stay Safe Proclamation (No. 20-25) ordering people to stay home except for essential activities or employment in essential business services; banning public and private gatherings for social, recreational or spiritual purposes; and stopping operations for non-essential businesses in Washington. These restrictions remain in effect until midnight on April 6, 2020. The Governor issued a list of “Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers” that identifies essential workforce and business activities that may continue, subject to social distancing and sanitation measures. Some or possibly all of the scope of your work may fall within one of the permitted activities. If not, non-essential businesses are allowed to maintain “minimum basic operations,” which is defined as “the minimum activities necessary to maintain the value of the business’ inventory, preserve the condition of the business’ physical plant and equipment, ensure security, process payroll and employee benefits, facilitate employees of the business being able to continue to work remotely from their residences, and related functions.” Further, the Proclamation does not prohibit working from home. If you have questions concerning the applicability of these provisions to your work, we would be pleased to consult with you.