King County businesses reopening in modified phase 1 of Washington Safe Start program

KING COUNTY, Wash. -- Businesses are slowly dialing back in after state officials approved King County to enter a modified phase 1.

Ray Valentin dined at Il Bistro in Seattle’s Pike Place Public Market. It was the first meal he’s had out since restaurants closed back in March.

“I got the NY steak. It’s cooked perfectly. The vegetables are great, the potatoes are great. We’re just out having a great time,” said Valentin. “It’s everything for us. We enjoy coming out. Being out with the community. Being able to support the restaurants out here.”

Nick Wiltz is the owner of Il Bistro and said they’re following every rule. “It’s been really fun to have guests come back. We’re in touch with regulars and they of course were very, very excited to come back,” said Wiltz. “We just really look forward to getting more people back and everyone feeling comfortable coming out while still being careful.”

Under the health guidelines, professional services and personal services can reopen at 25 percent capacity or seeing one client at a time.

Retailers can reopen at 15 percent capacity, and customers are encouraged to limit the shopping experience or face-to-face contact to half an hour.

As of Tuesday, there have been 8,496 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 579 deaths.

Statewide, there have been 22,484 confirmed cases and 1,118 deaths.

Click here to learn where you can get a free COVID-19 test in King County.

Free testing is now available in Duvall through Duvall Family Drugs and the Department of Health and Human Services. You can make an appointment for testing by clicking here.