Inslee Announces New Regionalized Reopening Plan, Lifts Some Restrictions

Governor Jay Inslee announced Tuesday that the "Healthy Washington - Roadmap to Recovery" reopening plan will replace the previous phased reopening plan.

Inslee said that, instead of each county applying to move to the next phase, counties will now be grouped into regions that will move ahead automatically after meeting four target metrics.

"We have found that because healthcare systems are regional, and we know that viruses do not respect county boundaries, we are moving to a regional assessment of criteria to allow increased economic opportunity," stated Inslee.

The state will be broken up into just 8 regions which will all begin at Phase 1 next Monday. Chelan, Douglas, Grant and Okanogan County make up the North Central region. Kittitas, Yakima, Benton, Franklin, Walla Walla and Columbia County will be grouped into the new South Central region.

Again, a region can only move to Phase 2 of the reopening plan if it meets all four of the following key metrics:

• A 10% decrease in COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people in the two most recent weeks compared to the two weeks prior
• A 10% decrease in COVID-19 hospitalizations per 100,000 people over two weeks
• The regional Intensive Care Unit (ICU) occupancy, for both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients combined, is below 90%
• The COVID-19 test positivity rate is below 10%

To remain in Phase 2, a region must meet three of the four following metrics:

• Decreasing or flat trend in the two-week rate of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population
• Decreasing or flat trend in the two-week rate of new COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100,000 population
• The regional Intensive Care Unit (ICU) occupancy, for both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients combined, is below 90%
• The COVID-19 test positivity rate is below 10%

Therefore, a region can also automatically slip back a phase if two of the four key metrics fall below standards. Phases beyond Phase 2 have yet to be developed.

None of the eight regions in Washington would currently qualify for Phase 2.

Included with the announcement was also a severely limited reopening of some fitness activities. Live entertainment will also be allowed under certain conditions.

More information on the "Healthy Washington - Roadmap to Recovery" reopening plan can be found here.