Food permits have been temporarily extended for restaurants in Kitsap County in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Each May, the Kitsap Public Health Department starts renewing the food permits for establishments in Kitsap. However, with many restaurants either shuttered completely or doing limited business without in-person dining, Kitsap Public Health District Administrator Keith Grellner told officials at a recent KPHD meeting that permits will be extended for at least the next 30 days — and likely for longer than that.

“We just didn’t feel it was appropriate to send out invoices for next year’s permit cycle when we don’t know when it’s going to resume,” Grellner said.