Will Benton and Franklin counties stay in Phase 3 of reopening? Here’s where it stands

Benton and Franklin counties will learn Monday whether they will remain in Phase 3 of reopening.

Metrics were looking great for Benton County and promising for Franklin County, particularly after Gov. Jay Inslee announced he was easing requirements for counties to remain in Phase 3.

However, about 70 groups, including four Chambers of Commerce in the Tri-Cities area, said the state should not roll back any counties to Phase 2 on Monday.

It would not contain the spread of the virus, and instead the focus should be on educating and encouraging people to get a COVID vaccination, they said.

Rolling back any counties to Phase 2 “would punish struggling businesses for personal behavior while doing little to stop the spread of COVID,” they said in a letter to Inslee.

On Friday Inslee said counties would have to fail both checks planned by the state, rather than just one of the two, to drop down to Phase 2. That would decrease the number of people allowed inside restaurants, fitness centers, theaters and sports events.

The Washington state Department of Health will check both the number of new COVID patients per 100,000 patients over seven days and the new case rate over two weeks.

The latest data posted online by the state showed the two-week case rate through March 29.

The state will be looking for a case rate below 200.

It showed Benton County with 153 new cases per 100,000 people for those two weeks, easily meeting the state goal.

Franklin County had a case rate of 189 new cases per 100,000 for the same two weeks.

The Franklin County case rate appears likely to still be under 200 on Monday, according to case rate data from the Benton Franklin Health District that shows case rates may have dropped slightly in its data for the two weeks through April 2.

The local health district did not have data for hospital admissions for COVID treatment over seven days nor does it know exactly which days the state will consider.

Hospital admissions have dropped sharply since the first of the year. But this past week saw a jump in total hospital patients being treated for COVID from eight on Wednesday to 18 on Friday for the two counties combined.

Benton and Franklin counties must each have fewer than five patients per 100,000 people admitted for COVID treatment over seven days to meet the state requirement. Franklin County has just under 100,000 people and Benton County has just over 200,000.

Tri-Cities split

Local officials had asked the state to consider Benton and Franklin counties together for reopening because the two are so closely intertwined in the Tri-Cities area, with the urban area crossing county lines.

However, the state declined and the two counties will be considered separately.

All counties of the state moved to Phase 3 of reopening on March 22, with the first check scheduled for Monday, April 12, on whether they are containing the spread of the coronavirus sufficiently to stay in Phase 3. Future checks are planned every three weeks.

Under Phase 3 of reopening, restaurants, fitness centers, movie theaters and other public spaces were allowed to increase occupancy to 50% of capacity.

Attendance at outdoor events also was expanded in Phase 3, including for professional, high school and youth sports and for graduation ceremonies.

Delay reopening decision?

Rolling back capacity for indoor gatherings to 25% if counties cannot meet state standards for COVID hospital admissions and new case rates will not work to contain the virus, according to a letter to Inslee.

Among groups signing it were the Tri-City Regional, Pasco, Prosser and Tri-Cities Hispanic chambers of commerce.

It also was signed by the Association of Washington Business, the Washington Hospitality Association, Washington Realtors, Washington Retail Association, Washington Bankers, Washington Food Industry Association and the Building Industry Association of Washington.

They called for the governor to wait three more weeks before reconsidering whether any counties should be rolled back to Phase 2 of reopening.

Reduced capacity limits do not deter people from gathering as shown by data from Washington and other states, they said.

But 50% capacity limits with the strong protocols already in place work to provide people with safe outlets to socialize, they said.

In addition, different rules for adjoining counties only encourage people to travel to the county with the least restrictions, they said.

As all state residents 16 and older become eligible to be vaccinated Thursday, April 15, “our collective energies should be directed toward the common goal of ensuring that every county receives their due and allocations and educating all members of the public to get vaccinated,” the letter said.

This story was originally published April 11, 2021 at 5:00 AM.