Inslee: Entire State on 2 Week Pause, No Counties Go Backwards
themselves back.
Inslee called it leadership, and a standup thing to do, in Ferry County moving themselves backwards. The local health board chose to do so. He blamed it on a super spreader event; a thinly disguised swipe at a conservative political event in Republic.
Inslee said all counties will remain in Phase 3, while officials evaluate conditions and rates. Inslee claimed rates in the last week, perhaps ten days, rates are plateauing, perhaps even moving downward slightly.
Inslee said the state s economy is showing signs of recovery and said the decision was made in part by consulting with the Department of Health and other officials.
Gov. Inslee announces two-week pause on Phase 2 rollbacks May 4, 2021 at 11:38 am
Gov. Jay Inslee announced Tuesday that the state will be enacting a two-week pause on rollbacks for all counties.
This comes in place of what was expected to be an announced rollback for several Washington counties. Now, those plans will be put on hold, with the state set to “evaluate the situation” again after two weeks.
Cowlitz, Pierce, and Whitman counties which were all moved to Phase 2 in mid-April will remain in their current phase. Ferry County will also stay in Phase 2, after voluntarily rolling itself back last Friday. All other counties will remain in Phase 3.
Inslee: No new COVID-19 restrictions in Washington for now
RACHEL LA CORTE, Associated Press
May 4, 2021
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FILE - In this May 2, 2021, file photo, Austin Kennedy, left, a Seattle Sounders season ticket holder, gets the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine at a clinic in a concourse at Lumen Field in Seattle, prior to an MLS soccer match between the Sounders and the Los Angeles Galaxy. Rising coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in Washington and Oregon have led Oregon officials to move toward further restrictions. Washington is taking a two-week pause to evaluate before making a decision.Ted S. Warren/AP
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Tuesday said all of the state s counties will remain in their current phase of the state s economic reopening plan and won t face more restrictions because new COVID cases are levelling off after a recent spike.
Gee & Ursula: Is rolling back or refusing to be vaccinated more harmful?
An outdoor dining setup at a restaurant in Seattle s Wallingford neighborhood. (MyNorthwest photo)
More than a dozen counties, including King and Snohomish, are at risk of rolling back to Phase 2 this week, which means places like restaurants and gyms would have to cut their current capacities in half.
“I’m really tired of discussing rolling back,” KIRO Radio host Gee Scott said. “We need to stop. I think it’s nonsense. … My question would be this: Does rolling back to Phase 2 make things better? Does rolling back to Phase 2 make people want to go get vaccinated, make someone get up and say, ‘you know what, we’re back in Phase 2? Oh man, shucks, let me go and get this vaccination.’ No. Getting everyone vaccinated is what’s going to be making things better.”
Washington Governor Jay Inslee says he ll wait two weeks before deciding to move counties back and forth in the state s coronavirus reopening protocol.
Washington Governor Jay Inslee has announced the state will wait two weeks before deciding whether to shift counties up or down in the coronavirus reopening protocol.
State health officials had said last week that a dozen or more counties weren’t meeting the metrics necessary to continue in the current Phase 3. But the governor said there are positive signs that should be watched before making a decision that could affect a significant part of the state. He says the most recent Covid data collected by the Department of Health shows that case rates are stabilizing in areas that had seen significant increases, including Ferry County, which has been fighting an outbreak in Republic for the past 2-3 weeks.