PORT ANGELES – The COVID vaccination mandate for indoor dining, will be lifted in Clallam County March 11th. That is the agreement reached in a settlement of a lawsuit brought by a half dozen Clallam County restaurants against the county’s health officer.
In the agreement, Dr. Allison Berry will lift the mandate on that date, provided the intensive care unit occupancy rate at the county’s hospitals is below 90 percent. Dr. Berry also agrees to lift the ban on unvaccinated people dining inside at restaurants and bars earlier than March 11th, if the COVID case rate drops below two hundred per 100,000 for a two-week period and the ICU rate is less than 90 percent.
The restaurants agree within five days after the health officer lifts the order, to dismiss their action with prejudice.
Six restaurants in Clallam County filed the suit in November seeking an injunction on the mandate. They claimed it unfairly targeted a single industry and infringed on their right to economic freedom. But both sides hammered out the agreement without the case making it to a full court hearing.
Under terms of the settlement, the plaintiffs and Clallam County will be responsible for their own legal fees.