VANCOUVER, Wash. — In a rare Sunday news conference, Washington's governor said with daily COVID-19 case counts doubling in the past two weeks, we all must help stop the surge.
“We make the decision if this virus is going to swallow us whole, we make the decision whether we eventually recover our economy, we make the decision if we’re going to show our loved ones that we really love them,” said Governor Jay Inslee, as he announced new restrictions designed to fight back the spread of disease.
A lot of the economic pain will fall on restaurants, where it will be at least four weeks of no indoor dining. Carol's Corner Cafe is a popular breakfast and lunch spot in Clark County. It is currently running at 50 percent capacity, with safety practices in place.
“We feel like Carol’s is really taking precautions and any place we go out to eat, we make sure they take precautions,” said diner Roberta Guerra.
General Manager Shannon Holliday said they were just getting up to speed with operating at half capacity and had installed plexiglass dividers and staffed up to handle the extra safety protocols. And now, another shut down.
“It’s rough, it’s going to be rough for everyone and I hope everybody comes together and does the take-out portion because it’s really going to be the only thing that helps these little places,” said Holliday, who added she understands the science behind the restrictions.
Martha Roy is waiting for a table with her daughter and grandson. She loves Carol's, but said she trusts the governor.
“My stance is, I’ll follow his lead and if that’s what he says, if we save lives it’s worth it. We lost our neighbor a young man who had four young kids, to COVID,” said Roy.
Retail and grocery stores will need to limit customers to 25% capacity, down from 30%. We found shoppers thinking about this in different ways.
“I’m not big on government restrictions, honestly, I think we should be able to be responsible ourselves,” said Nathalie Lindsay.
“We have to do anything to bring the level of this virus down—I mean it’s out of control,” said Judy Glass.
The household social gathering restrictions may be the toughest for the average person to manage. Starting Monday, indoor social gatherings can't include anyone outside your household, unless you quarantine for 14 days, or seven days if accompanied by a negative COVID test.