Three Washington counties to fall back to Phase 2 of COVID-19 reopening on Friday
Three Washington state counties have failed COVID-19 metrics and will soon be under tighter restrictions, according to Gov. Jay Inslee’s office. Cowlitz, Pierce, and Whitman counties will all backslide to Phase 2 of the state’s “Healthy Washington” plan on Friday while the rest of the state stays in Phase 3.
For the counties moving to Phase 2, maximum occupancy indoor at restaurants, retail stores, gyms, and worship services will be cut in half — from 50% to 25%, among other tightened restrictions.
Capacity limits on social gatherings and other activities will also get tighter. Updated guidance around spectator events for Phase 2, though, in part allows professional sports, college sports and school graduation ceremonies to continue following Phase 3 guidance if they have specified plans in place.
“These metric trends are driven by the virus and we must continue to do everything we can to sharpen our focus and keep COVID-19 activity down,” said Inslee in a prepared statement. “We are so close to the end of the tunnel here — we have made tremendous progress and we must keep our focus. It’s like a football game; we have done 95 yards on a 99 yard-drive. We can’t let up now. These are not punitive actions; they are to save lives and protect public health.”
Monday’s evaluation was the first since the current version of the state’s reopening plan went into effect.
Evaluations are planned for every three weeks, on Mondays, with changes to counties’ phases to take effect Fridays. So, the changes this week are slated to stay in effect until at least after the next evaluation, which is scheduled for May 3.
Last Friday, Gov. Inslee altered the reopening plan and made it harder for counties to backslide. The plan previously would’ve sent counties back a phase if they missed just one of two metrics, and now they have to miss both.
A county with 50,000 or more residents can stay in Phase 3 if it’s had fewer than 200 new cases per 100,000 people over two weeks or fewer than five new hospitalizations per 100,000 over one week. The metrics differ for smaller counties.
Data used to calculate metrics Monday was current as of April 9, according to a Department of Health report. The report shows:
Cowlitz County’s case rate March 20 to April 2 was 367 per 100,000 and its hospitalization rate March 24 through March 30 was 13 per 100,000. Pierce County’s metrics were 267.9 cases and 6.4 hospitalizations for those time frames. Whitman County’s metrics came in at 210 and 5.9.
Asked how DOH can justify using data from those time frames while determining moves for the next three weeks, DOH spokesperson Ginny Streeter wrote in an email that the department is “using the most up-to-date complete data for calculating the metrics. The most recent eight days of case data are considered incomplete as it can take up to eight days for DOH to receive 90% of reported cases.”
Once a county moves down a phase, it needs to meet both metrics in order to move up to the next phase, Streeter confirmed. So, the counties that are sliding backward will need to meet both Phase 3 metrics in order to get back to where they stand today.
The date those counties will backslide falls one day after all Washington state residents ages 16 and older will at last be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine, April 15. The most recent state data show 22% of Washington residents were fully vaccinated and 34% had received at least one dose.
On Saturday, more than 60 organizations signed a letter urging Inslee to postpone the state’s assessment of counties to May 3 given the steady ramp-up in vaccinations. Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards and other Pierce County leaders have requested a similar delay citing a “technical glitch” that resulted in the county under-ordering vaccine doses.
In a statement after the Monday announcement, Anthony Anton, president and CEO of the Washington Hospitality Association, said the trade group was disappointed to see the rollback and they don’t think it will be an effective containment strategy — people can easily travel across county lines.
“We will continue to keep our focus where we believe it is most important, which is on encouraging proven strategies, including wearing masks, practicing physical distancing, gathering safely in highly regulated areas,” Anton said in the prepared statement. “And, most importantly, we will continue to encourage as many people as possible to get the COVID vaccine so we can move as one state toward recovery.”
Gov. Inslee did not announce the changes Monday at a press conference, but rather via a press release. According spokesperson Tara Lee, the governor was caring for a family member who has a health issue.
This story was originally published April 12, 2021 at 1:53 PM with the headline "Three Washington counties to fall back to Phase 2 of COVID-19 reopening on Friday."
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