Governor updates guidance on counties staying in Phase 3. Here’s what that means to Whatcom
Counties are less likely to slide back to a more restrictive phase of reopening when the state evaluates COVID-19 metrics on Monday, after Gov. Jay Inslee updated the state’s “Healthy Washington” plan on Friday, April 9.
The entire state is currently in Phase 3 of the plan, which in part allows 50% occupancy at restaurants, gyms, retail stores, and movie theaters.
Whatcom will stay in Phase 3, the county’s top health official said.
The plan previously would’ve sent counties back a phase if they missed one of two metrics, related to case rates and hospitalizations. Going back to Phase 2 would in part mean going back to 25% occupancy for those businesses.
Inslee has now loosened that criteria: Counties can miss one of the two metrics and stay put. If they miss both, then they backslide.
“Given the incredible progress on vaccinations and our focus protecting people from severe illness, we believe analyzing and requiring both metrics together is the right approach to make sure we’re considering the connection between COVID cases and our medical system and hospitalizations,” Inslee said in a prepared statement.
He made the change just ahead of the first evaluation of counties under the plan, scheduled for Monday, April 12, with any phase changes to take effect next Friday, April 16. Under the plan, these evaluations are expected every three weeks.
The state has experienced a recent uptick in COVID-19 activity. The day before Inslee announced the change in reopening criteria, he voiced concern that some counties were on the verge of reverting to Phase 2. Health officials Wednesday, April 7, warned “a handful of counties” could potentially move backward.
“Both the number of infections and the number of hospitalizations is going up,” Inslee said at a Thursday, April 8, press conference. “We have concerns about that. As you know, on Monday we will be evaluating the status of counties. We’re concerned about several counties that may be in a situation to go back to Phase 2.”
But Whatcom County will stay in Phase 3, Health Director Erika Lautenbach told the County Council this week.
“Whatcom County has been pretty stable rate-wise, especially when compared to other counties around the state that have seen some increases in cases,” Lautenbach told the council in a committee meeting Tuesday, April 6.
“We’re a ways off from being in a tenuous position regarding our status in Phase 3. We don’t anticipate when there is an analysis on April 12 that anything will change with our status unless something very dramatic happens in the next seven days,” Lautenbach said.
Counties with more than 50,000 residents, such as Whatcom, must have fewer than 200 new cases per 100,000 residents in a two-week period. Whatcom’s infection rate was 138.5 between March 16 and 29, according to the latest update of state’s Risk Assessment Dashboard on Thursday, meaning Whatcom is currently making the first goal.
Large counties must also have fewer than five new COVID-related hospitalizations per 100,000 residents per seven days. Whatcom had seven COVID-related hospitalizations (or 3.10 per 100,000 residents) from March 15-21 — the most recent complete data on the state’s epidemiological curves — meaning Whatcom is currently making the second goal, according to an analysis by The Bellingham Herald.
New guidance around spectator events in Phase 2 was also released Friday. It includes that professional and college sports with approved league or conference plans and school graduation ceremonies with health and safety plans can follow Phase 3 guidance, even if a county has to move back to Phase 2.
After Monday’s evaluation, the next is planned for May 3.
This story was originally published April 9, 2021 at 2:15 PM.
.jpg)
