King County Enters 'Modified Phase 1' Reopening

SEATTLE, WA — State officials gave King County the green light to move ahead under a "modified phase 1" on Friday, as 13 other counties moved to phase 2 or phase 3 in the Safe Start reopening plan.

Late last month, Gov. Jay Inslee unveiled updated guidelines for the state's data-driven approach to reopening, allowing all counties to be approved for the next steps once several metrics are met. Pierce and Snohomish counties are among the six approved for phase 2 Friday, and seven counties reached the third phase.

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King County falls short of the standard to enter phase 2 but can now immediately restore many of the same businesses and activities, including indoor restaurant dining, with some added restrictions.

"The success of this guidance depends on business owners and community members embracing public health best practices, and understanding that one size doesn't fit all," King County Executive Dow Constantine said. "By opening our economy carefully and deliberately, we can make sure to stay healthy and continue down the path to recovery."

Here are a few things allowed under "Phase 1.5"

• Indoor restaurant dining at 25 percent capacity, with tables separated by at least 6 feet. Outdoor limited at 50 percent capacity.
• In-store retail service at 15 percent capacity, with visits limited to 30 minutes.
• Personal services (cosmetologists, stylists, barbers, estheticians, tattoo artists, etc.) at 25 percent capacity.
• Professional services (accountants, engineers, IT, and other office jobs) at 25 percent capacity.
• All construction, including jobs where physical distance cannot be contained, is now authorized.

New phase 2 approvals

• Pierce
• Snohomish
• Whatcom
• Skagit
• Clark
• Okanogan

New phase 3 approvals

• Columbia
• Ferry
• Garfield
• Lincoln
• Pend Oreille
• Stevens
• Wahkiakum

At least three weeks separate each phase, and counties must submit new applications for each step, in coordination with local hospitals and public health officials. The state considers each metric as a target, rather than a "hardline" requirement, and considers the county's overall preparedness.

Five key metrics:

• COVID-19 activity: The ideal target for new cases will be 25 or fewer per 100,000 residents over a 14-day period. Hospitalizations for COVID should be flat or decreasing.
• Healthcare system readiness: The available hospital beds in a given jurisdiction would preferably be at less than 80% occupancy.
• Testing: Counties should show they have adequate testing capacity, 50 times as many people per day as they have confirmed new cases per day – which equates to positive test results under 2%. They also need to show rapid turnaround time for test results, ensuring that we can work effectively to contain the virus.
• Case and contact investigations: The goal is to contact 90 percent of cases by phone or in-person within 24 hours of receipt of a positive lab test result. There is also a goal of reaching all that person’s contacts within 48 hours of a positive test result. Additionally, there are goals to make contact with each case and contact during their home isolation or quarantine to help ensure their success.
• Protecting high-risk populations: The ideal number of outbreaks reported by week – defined as two or more non-household cases where transmission occurred at work, in congregate living, or in an institutional setting – is zero for counties under 75,000, and no higher than three for our largest counties.