City of Seattle to lift COVID emergency at the end of October

After more than 2½ years, the city of Seattle will end its COVID-19 emergency proclamation at the end of the month, ending certain renter and worker protections.

Mayor Bruce Harrell announced Tuesday that Seattle will lift its residual COVID emergency order to align with Gov. Jay Inslee’s decision to end the statewide state of emergency on Oct. 31. “While the impacts of the pandemic continue to be felt by our neighbors and communities, it is thanks to our city’s strong response — including our high vaccination rate and strong health care system — that we can continue moving toward recovery and revitalization,” Harrell said in a news release. “We will continue to follow the recommendations of public health experts and science leaders to support the safety and well-being of our communities.”

The remaining policies tied to the emergency order will end on or after Nov. 1, and “others will be phased out over time.”

Some policies affected by the change include:

• A citywide requirement for property owners to “negotiate payment plans to limit evictions and limits on commercial-tenant personal liability” will end six months after the end of the emergency proclamation, or May 1, 2023.
• Hazard pay for food-delivery gig workers — established by ordinance —will end Nov. 1. Paid sick leave for delivery and transportation gig workers is also set to end six months after the order, but will be made permanent for transportation workers on January 1, 2023, under state law.

Harrell had already signaled his intentions of ending pandemic-era policies, having lifted masking and other practical COVID precautions in city buildings, which he reopened earlier this year. He also required most employees to return to in-person work this spring.

The city’s vaccine requirement for contractors and staff will remain intact and is unaffected by the new order, according to the mayor’s office.

When Harrell indicated to City Council members this summer that the end of the emergency order was near, council central staff identified more than a dozen policies that would expire at or after the end of the order.

Since then, the council has made permanent a 15% cap on delivery fees, which would have ended after the order was lifted. 

At Harrell’s request, council also ended hazard pay for grocery workers before the emergency order would have ended the program.

While Harrell also ended eviction moratoriums earlier this year, protections that allowed those facing eviction due to nonpayment will end when the order is lifted. The requirement for landlords to provide payment plans for past-due rent will continue for six months after the end of the order.

The mayor’s office said Tuesday that they will continue to monitor local case data to “remain vigilant for future waves and variants.”