(Image: Marmite)
The state’s key metrics — Regions must only meet three of the four thresholds after state officials decided to loosen requirements
The state has lowered the bar on its phased plan for regional reopening of businesses and loosened restrictions on gatherings. The result? Seattle and King County are eligible to move forward into Phase 2 starting Monday allowing restaurants to resume indoor service at reduced capacity and friends and loved ones to visit in their homes.
Gov. Jay Inslee announced the change Thursday that lowers the requirements set earlier this month for advancing from a reopening phase. Previously, a region needed to meet all four thresholds measured by the state health department. Now, a region advances if only three of four of the key metrics are met, qualifying King County and its Puget Sound region including Pierce and Snohomish Counties for the next phase of reopening.
The state’s West Region including Grays Harbor, Thurston, Lewis, and Pacific Counties also qualifies.
“The changes come after further conversations with public health partners and the state’s increasing vaccination rates,” the governor’s office said Thursday.
Under Phase 2, restaurants can offer indoor dining at 25% capacity. Gyms can also reopen at 25% capacity. Museums, aquariums, bowling alleys, and theaters, can also reopen at 25% capacity with no more than 200 people. Competitive sports can also resume games beyond the practices allowed in Phase 1.
The lowered requirements and new phase for Seattle comes as state and local officials have struggled to meet early goals for vaccine deployment as the federal system of distribution ramps up under the Biden administration. State officials have expressed modest expectations for the rollout saying most people would not receive their first COVID-19 vaccination until May at the earliest, according to guidance from the Washington State Department of Health.
In King County, the daily average is down to around 273 new cases per day — about half of the heights seen in November and December. Every day, around four to five people sickened in that time are dying from COVID-19 complications.
Meanwhile, more health officials are advising people consider making a big change to their face covering strategy — more people are double masking as virulent new strains of the virus emerge.
The phase change in Seattle will be welcome news for some restaurants and bars choosing to operated under COVID-19 restrictions. Others have already reopened for indoor dining under new rules for venues with air circulation meeting state requirements.
Another change announced Thursday will alter how often regions will be assessed for advancement. Starting next week, regions metrics will be evaluated every two weeks instead of every week, state officials said.
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Why not wear 3 masks or 4 masks?
Hopefully this is a good move. I worry, though, in light of the more contagious strains that are now circulating. We’re in worse shape now than we were when everything shut down in the spring. But…I get it. We’re all sick of covid, and businesses need to survive.
Seems like opening too soon, and sending the wrong signal to me.
I agree, the numbers are lower because we are being more cautious, nothing has changed. . Now we have moved to phase 2, but double up on you masks, this makes no sense with a new, more contagious, strain among us. I’m such of being home but this way doesn’t seem like the way to get there.
Every time we make just a little bit of progress they rush to open things up again rather than wait and maintain mitigation strategies. The result so far has been a record death toll and now we have highly transmissible strains. It’s infuriating and I have lost faith in our elected officials.
But Orangemanbad is gone, so we can reopen
Seems ill-timed to me, with more virulent strains starting to circulate and vaccination underway and steadily ramping up. Plus restaurants could already open up indoor dining if they could prove their CO2 levels were low enough (proxy for air circulation).
It’s really depressing watching maskless groups sitting inside restaurants, being served by a waiter / waitress in a mask. Before the 25% capacity change. The sole seated table inside a restaurant with That group of 4.
How do you even relax in that scenario, as the customer? Do you avoid eye contact completely with the help you have to objectify in order to swallow? Do you tip 50% because you know they don’t have health insurance worth a damn? Or do you chug cocktails until you’ve been spiritually transported back to Jade Pagoda circa 1999 and dance like no one is watching, dying?