Washington Reaches First Phase In Inslee's Reopening Plan

OLYMPIA, WA — Washington welcomed the return of some outdoor recreation Tuesday as Gov. Jay Inslee announced the formation of three advisory panels to help guide the state's four-step approach to reopening.

"Obviously, we still have a long way to go in our battle against COVID-19, but our recovery is moving forward," Inslee said.

Under the first phase of the plan, visitors are now welcome at more than 100 state parks, trails and boat launches, while ocean beaches and parks along the Columbia River Gorge remain closed. Most Pierce County parks reopened Tuesday, and parks in King County are slated to reopen Friday.

Guidelines allowing more businesses to reopen, including landscaping, vehicle sales, car washes, and curbside retail will be finalized by early next week, Inslee said Tuesday.

During a news conference Tuesday, the governor announced three advisory groups that will consult with his office as the state enacts each phase of the reopening plan.

Each panel is led by a member of Inslee's cabinet and includes business groups and community leaders from across Washington.

"They represent a broad cross-section of Washingtonians from east and west of the Cascades, different generations, and a focus on different impacts from the pandemic on our state," Inslee said.

The governor's office said each phase of the four-step plan will be separated by at least three weeks. According to Secretary of Health John Wiesman, the second phase could begin by June 1.

Related: Inslee Signs 'Safe Start' Order To Reopen Washington In Phases

Seven Republican lawmakers file lawsuit over stay-at-home extension

Seven Republican state lawmakers filed a legal challenge against Inslee's extended "Stay Home, Stay Healthy" order Tuesday, asking the court to strike down the measure as unconstitutional.

In the suit, the lawmakers argue recent weeks have brought "unabated good news," noting fewer deaths than originally predicted and claiming extended measures are not legally justified.

Inslee and state health officials have repeatedly credited social distancing efforts for suppressing the rate of transmission and warned that all available science shows the virus is likely to make a rebound if all restrictions were prematurely lifted.

The governor strongly condemned the lawsuit effort Tuesday.

"If we stopped in our tracks, half-way through this effort or two-thirds through this effort, this virus will come back with a vengeance," Inslee said. "As far as I can tell, that doesn't bother them that much."

While the daily number of deaths reported has trended downward in recent weeks, along with the percentage of tests returning positive for the virus, state health officials noted new cases have remained fairly steady — often around 200 per day. Some counties, like Yakima and Skagit, have yet to see a "flattening of the curve," and instead have seen increased activity, officials said.

Ramping up testing and contact tracing

Dr. Charissa Fotinos, who is leading the statewide testing effort, said the state is expecting hundreds of thousands of testing swabs and other materials to arrive in Washington this month, allowing for a much higher number of tests to be processed each day.

Increasing testing through Washington has been a pillar of Inslee's reopening plans, along with the deployment of a 1,500-member team to track new infections and quickly make contact with anyone else who may have been exposed to the virus. State officials said the team is still on target to be fully trained by May 11, including 750 soldiers from the National Guard and 400 staff members from the Department of Licensing.

Secretary of Health John Wiesman said each investigator will be able to handle five cases per day and interview approximately 13 close contacts of each potential new infection.

Inslee said Tuesday that the state recently processed 7,000 tests in a single day. The goal is to get that number closer to 20,000.

The governor said the state is also looking at options to widely expand antibody testing, which would help the state track undetected cases on a much larger scale.