Still no Phase 3, but Washington Gov. Inslee says no regions will backslide in reopening
UPDATE: Gov. Inslee’s March 3 announcement on Phase 3
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee Thursday announced a pause on regions moving backward in the state’s “Healthy Washington — Roadmap to Recovery” plan, meaning the entire state will remain in Phase 2 of the two-phase plan for now.
“We’re making this pause in recognition of the fact that we’ve made incredible progress in knocking down the infection rate of COVID in the last several weeks,” Inslee said at a virtual news conference.
He did not share news of any potential future phases, but said his office will be working on that in the coming weeks, monitoring developing science and consulting stakeholders.
“Obviously, there’s a question of when we could move our state forward through another phase,” the governor said. “It’s a good question, and right now we will be answering that question in the next several weeks, as we listen to people in the community — as we listen to local elected officials, local public health issues, workers and businesses, and particularly as we look at the development of the science around these variants.”
The state Department of Health won’t compile updated regional metrics this week, according to Inslee’s office, but the office wasn’t aware of any regions at risk of sliding backward even without the pause.
Cases down, variant worries
State data show the number of new cases of COVID-19 in Washington state have been trending downward, along with hospitalizations and deaths related to the disease.
“This has been a very significant reduction of cases in our state,” Inslee said. “And I want to credit Washingtonians for what everybody’s been doing. Wearing masks and being safe is the reason we’re knocking these numbers down.”
Meanwhile, efforts to vaccinate residents have continued and federal allocations of doses have increased. As of Feb. 22, state data showed more than 1.4 million doses had been administered in the state. Over 45,000 vaccinations were administered in one day recently, Inslee said, meeting a goal the state set last month.
“We wanted to demonstrate capacity to do 45,000 vaccinations a day,” Inslee said. “We have met that goal, now we need the dosages to continue to come in to be able to do these vaccinations.”
However, state health officials have also expressed concern about variants of the disease.
“We need to be mindful, working with our health scientists going forward,” Inslee said. “We’ve got to be both confidence and cautious at the same time. And, if we do that, we can look forward to better days ahead.”
The B.1.351 variant first identified in South Africa was detected in King County this week, and 39 cases of the B.1.1.7 variant strain first identified in the United Kingdom had been found in the state as of Tuesday, according to the Department of Health.
“COVID-19 is threatening us in new ways, and we need to rise to the challenge,” said Dr. Jeff Duchin, health officer for Public Heath – Seattle & King County, in a press release. “The B.1.1.7 variant can spread more readily and B.1.351 viruses might reduce vaccine effectiveness. For these reasons we need to continue to do all we can to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and push our case rates as low as possible.”
‘Roadmap to Recovery’
The two-phase reopening plan went into effect Jan. 11 with all eight regions of the state starting in Phase 1. Two regions moved to Phase 2 in late January, when a change to the plan made it easier for regions to advance, and the entire state joined those regions Feb. 14.
Entering Phase 2 comes with looser restrictions, such as the introduction of indoor dining at a maximum of 25 percent capacity.
According to the reopening plan, phases may be added to the plan as the state’s COVID-19 response changes and vaccines are distributed.
Top Republican lawmakers in the Washington state Senate and House of Representatives requested in a Feb. 11 letter that the governor give a clear definition of Phase 3, which so far has not happened. Leaders in the Republican caucuses addressed the topic at a media availability Thursday morning.
“We should’ve had Phase 3 details weeks ago,” Senate Minority Leader John Braun of Centralia said. “I mean, people are wondering. You can’t go out in the general public and talk to anybody without them asking, ‘What’s the next step? How do we get there?’”
The waiting and lack of certainty is creating anxiety for business owners, said Rep. Mary Dye of Pomeroy. As for what a Phase 3 should look like, Braun said he’d like to see a minimum of 50 percent capacity at restaurants, but he’d be comfortable opening completely and informing people of risks.
House Minority Leader J.T. Wilcox said he hopes Inslee is consulting the business community and the public in designing phases, which Inslee said at the press conference will happen.
“What you get from that, I think, is a meeting of the minds: How can you create the maximum amount of economic activity and do it in the safest possible way? And I am 100% sure that the business community doesn’t know everything there is to know about safety, and the public safety community doesn’t know everything there is to know about business and economic activity,” Wilcox said.
A reporter asked Inslee Thursday why there’s not a general outline that could be refined during the process. He said more information is necessary to do that effectively, and it wouldn’t serve people and businesses to give them a plan that doesn’t come to fruition.
This story was originally published February 25, 2021 at 3:42 PM with the headline "Still no Phase 3, but Washington Gov. Inslee says no regions will backslide in reopening."
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