Lewis County staff and commissioners meet Tuesday afternoon.
It’s been almost two weeks since Lewis County was approved to move into Phase 2 of Gov. Jay Inslee’s “Safe Start Washington” reopening plan. Still, county officials have wasted no time in preparing an application for a move into Phase 3.
Lewis County Public Health and Social Services J.P. Anderson said on Tuesday that the county would be eligible to apply for Phase 3 on Friday, June 12, which is three weeks from when the Phase 2 application was submitted to Secretary of Health John Wiesman.
He said the application for Phase 3 is virtually the same as what was submitted to enter into Phase 2.
“It is, by and large, the same,” Anderson said. “There are a few differences, there are a few additional pieces of information they want, but primarily, it’s the same. The same expectations, the same readiness questions … I would say that our application for Phase 3 would be much easier.”
According to the guidelines to the phased approach issued by Gov. Inslee’s office, counties are evaluated based upon COVID-19 activity in the respective areas — which includes less than 25 cases per 100,000 residents over the previous two weeks — the readiness of health care systems, testing capacity and contact investigations.
For the application into Phase 3, Anderson said the state has placed more of an emphasis on the county’s capacity for contact monitoring in the event the county sees an increase in cases.
“One thing that they are getting more focused on is, when we get a new positive case, our ability to contact that individual and follow-up with their close contacts to let them know about the person they’ve been in close contact with,” Anderson said. “We’ve been able to do that, that’s gone fine.”
The state is also paying attention to the activity in the county since its last move into a new phase. The focus, though, is making sure a county hasn’t seen an influx of cases since reopening on a limited basis.
Additionally, Anderson said making sure the county is prepared in its overall response to an outbreak is a vital component.
“That means our hospitals are ready, we stay ready should we have an escalation of cases,” Anderson said.
Although the guidelines for eligible counties and criteria for applications are subject to change and have been adjusted in the past, Anderson feels the current criteria for the county to be eligible for a move into Phase 3 won’t change between now and June 12.
Still, County Manager Erik Martin suggested in Monday’s Board of County Commissioners meeting waiting until June 12 to finalize the application, in case any changes need to be made on the county’s end.
“As far as the metrics that we need to meet to move into Phase 3, we’re in a good place right now,” Martin said. “Obviously we have 10 days or so before we know for sure, so I’m recommending that we wait until then to apply, because we don’t want to apply and then have a few cases pop up, then we have to change our application.”
In Gov. Inslee’s reopening plan, Phase 3 allows recreational facilities, such as gyms and pools, to reopen at half-capacity and outdoor recreational sports to resume with 50 or fewer people. Additionally, gatherings with no more than 50 people are able to resume.
Restaurants can expand to hold three-fourths of their normal capacity with parties of 10 or fewer and bars can hold a quarter of their capacity. Movie theaters can also reopen at half capacity, as can museums and libraries.
From what Anderson has seen in Phase 2 to this point, he’s been impressed by the county’s ability to adapt to both the initial restrictions and now the modified reopening.
“Lewis County residents did an excellent job of keeping themselves healthy and keeping their neighbors healthy,” Anderson said. “I think the county has done a phenomenal job in Phase 2, I’ve gone out to some restaurants, I was really impressed with how they integrated the Phase 2 requirements. I think Lewis County is doing great.”
The county has scheduled a special Board of Health Meeting and subsequent Board of County Commissioners meeting on Friday, June 12 with the hopes of approving and ultimately submitting a Phase 3 variance application .
Lewis County Commissioner Edna Fund acknowledges the impact a move into Phase 3 would continue to have on the county.
“I think we’re appreciating more what we had here before all of this happened,” Fund said. “The first time I sat down in a restaurant and could eat inside, I was just delighted. Before, I kind of took that for granted.
