Washington state will move into Phase 3 of its COVID-19 recovery plan starting March 22, Gov. Jay Inslee announced Thursday.
Inslee also said grocery store workers, bus drivers, farm workers and …
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Washington state will move into Phase 3 of its COVID-19 recovery plan starting March 22, Gov. Jay Inslee announced Thursday.
Inslee also said grocery store workers, bus drivers, farm workers and others in Phase 1B, Tier 2 of the state's vaccination plan will be eligible to receive a COVID vaccination starting Wednesday, March 17.
“Because of the progress we’ve made by decreasing our case rates and hospitalizations, as well as our tremendous efforts to get more people vaccinated, our reopening plan is once again based on counties, not regions,” Inslee said during his press conference Thursday.
“We are excited to take this step and we will keep evaluating our progress, and the impacts of these changes, to determine how and when we reopen further,” the governor added.
Under Phase 2 of Inslee's reopening plan, in-person spectators will be allowed at sporting events, with capacity capped at 25 percent for facilities with fixed seating.
The change includes high school and professional sports, as well as other outdoor spectator events. Masks and social distancing will still be required.
Up to 400 people will be allowed to attend outdoor activities.
Large venues will be capped at 25 percent occupancy, or up to 9,000 people, whichever is less.
Restaurants and other indoor spaces will be allowed to open to 50 percent occupancy, or 400 people maximum.
“Some of the hardest hit businesses in Washington will be able to return to 50 percent capacity as we continue on the road to recovery. On March 22, we make one more step to beating this virus and rejuvenating our economy,” Inslee said.
The state is also moving away from its regional approach of COVID-19 restrictions.
Inslee said counties will be individually evaluated every three weeks, and larger counties will face stricter metrics in determining the recovery phase they should be in.
Smaller counties are defined as those with populations of 50,000 or less. (Jefferson County, with a population of roughly 31,000 in 2018, is considered a smaller county.)
Smaller counties must maintain a 14-day average of 30 or fewer new cases of COVID-19, and a new seven-day hospitalization average at three or fewer.
Others in Phase 1B, Tier 2 for vaccinations also include workers in agriculture, food processing, firefighters and law enforcement, and people over the age of 16 who are pregnant or have a disability that puts them at high-risk.
