3 Additional Counties Enter Phase 2 Of Reopening Plan

WASHINGTON — Kittitas, Thurston and Walla Walla counties have all be cleared to enter Phase 2 of Gov. Inslee's Safe Start plan to reopen businesses and restart Washington's economy as the coronavirus pandemic comes under control.

Kittitas's application to enter Phase 2 has been an especially long time coming. The county was one of the first to apply for a so-called "variance" to enter Phase 2 early, but saw its application placed on hold for weeks after a new outbreak of coronavirus patients. The state now says they're confident Kittitas has the means to contain the virus and respond to further outbreaks, so its application has now been approved.

Currently, a county must have had fewer than 10 new coronavirus cases per 100,000 residents over a two-week period before they can apply to receive a variance and enter Phase 2. Earlier, variances were limited to counties with populations under 75,000 who had no new coronavirus cases for 3 weeks, but that rule was abandoned to better confirm to national guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control.

Kittitas, Thurston and Walla Walla join a total of 24 counties across the state that have been approved to enter Phase 2.

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Three counties, Clallam, Kitsap and Klickitat, are eligible to apply for a Phase 2 variance but have not yet been approved. Clark County was eligible but a recent coronavirus outbreak and investigation has put their application on hold.

Variance applications require that a county's hospitals, health officers, board of health and county commission or council unanimously support the move into Phase 2. The county must also demonstrate that it can provide adequate testing and quickly respond to new outbreaks as they arise.

Initially the state had hoped that all of Washington's counties that were not granted a variance would be able to enter Phase 2 together around June 1, but state leaders say it's increasingly likely that Washington's biggest counties will be left behind. In particular King, Pierce and Snohomish counties have illness rates three to four times higher than smaller counties who have met the variance standards. During a teleconference with reporters Tuesday, Secretary of Health John Wiesman said a new standard would need to be created for larger counties hoping to enter Phase 2. That standard is expected to be announced sometime this week.

Related stories:

Phase 2 Reopening Criteria In The Works For Larger WA Counties

10 More Washington Counties Eligible For Phase 2 Reopening