Inslee: 5 regions move to Phase 2, $87 million more in relief

Five more regions of the state will move to Phase 2 of Washington’s “Healthy Washington – Roadmap to Recovery” plan Sunday, Feb. 14, Gov. Jay Inslee announced Thursday.

The two regions already in Phase 2 will stay there, leaving just one of the state’s eight regions still in Phase 1, the south central region that includes the Tri Cities, Yakima and Walla Walla.

“We’re very happy about this,” Inslee said. “This means that 92% of all the people in the state of Washington will be able to move forward with some additional activity.”

The governor made the announcement at a virtual news conference Thursday afternoon while donning two masks — a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study found tightly secured masks and double-masking, wearing a cloth mask over a surgical mask, result in increased protection against the coronavirus.

The five regions’ move to Phase 2 was originally announced for Monday, but that changed to Sunday, which is Valentine’s Day, within hours. Bumping up the transition by a day will allow restaurants to benefit from the revenue of a holiday weekend, according to a press release Thursday evening.

“I know this creates more options for restaurants to make Valentine’s Day special for couples who hoped they could have a night out,” Inslee said in the press release. “I am confident people, young and old, will celebrate safely. And if it’s a first date that doesn’t go well, remind them to stay six feet away from you.”

At the press conference, Inslee also announced $87 million more will go to rental and business assistance from the state’s Disaster Response Account, as the state awaits more federal aid.

COVID-19 case counts in the state have declined significantly in recent weeks, and Inslee attributed the progress to people taking precautions and business owners following rules and being innovative.

“Because we have been doing these things, because we have been following the science, this is a large part why these numbers are going down and why we’re being able to open up 92% of our state to further economic activity,” Inslee said. “So I want to thank everyone who has been part of this mutual effort. Everybody who’s making these individual decisions are part of a statewide mission to save lives.”

The state is approaching 1 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine administered, according to the state Department of Health.

Washington state’s state of reopening

The East, North, North Central, Northwest, and Southwest regions will all advance to Phase 2 Monday, according to the governor’s office.

That means gyms and restaurants will be able to reopen indoor activity at 25% capacity in all but the South Central region, which includes Kittitas, Yakima, Benton, Franklin, Walla Walla, and Columbia counties.

Other restrictions loosen with a move to Phase 2, too. Indoor gatherings are banned under Phase 1, for example, but in Phase 2 regions they’re allowed with up to five people from outside a household and a limit of two households.

The Puget Sound and West regions, which are made up of King, Pierce, Thurston, Grays Harbor, Lewis, Snohomish, and Pacific counties, have been in Phase 2 of reopening since Feb. 1. That move happened after Inslee made changes to the state’s reopening plan that made it easier for regions to advance.

Under the revised plan, regions need to meet three of four targets set by the state to move to Phase 2. Whether regions should move phases is evaluated every two weeks.

The target metrics are:

• A 10% decline in case rates per 100,000 population over the last 14 days compared to the prior two weeks;

• A 10% decline in two-week COVID-19 hospital admission rate per 100,000 population;

• Average seven-day intensive care unit (ICU) occupancy rate below 90%; and

• A test positivity rate below 10%.

The North, Northwest, Puget Sound, and West regions met all four target metrics, according to data shared Thursday. The East, North Central, and Southwest regions met all but the test positivity rate target.

The South Central region will stay in Phase 1 because it failed to meet the test positivity target and it fell short of the hospital admissions target, the data show.

“The reason we’ve done it this way is that we’re letting the science guide us in these decisions,” Inslee said in response to a reporter’s question Thursday. “We set very clear, scientifically oriented guidance of metrics, and we’re very pleased now that 92% of the state have met those metrics. We’re hopeful the remaining 8% does it as soon as humanly possible. That is our goal.”

A timeline for more information on a potential Phase 3 is still unclear.

The governor has faced pressure to ease economic restrictions on a wider scale and criticism regarding his region-based reopening plan.

A bill sponsored by Senate Minority Leader John Braun of Centralia and moderate Democrat Sen. Mark Mullet of Issaquah, among others, would immediately move all regions to Phase 2. That bill had a public hearing that attracted more than 1,600 people who signed up to participate remotely, but hasn’t moved out of committee.

Three Democratic state lawmakers from the Olympic peninsula released a critical statement regarding Inslee’s plan in late January, saying it relies on inconsistent metrics and that the regional approach was “overly broad” and unfair to some counties.

Inslee has said he respects the critiques, The Seattle Times reported, and defended the plan. The regional approach is based largely on healthcare resources.

Anthony Anton, President and CEO of the Washington Hospitality Association, released a statement after the Thursday announcement, calling it “great news for public health and for our industry.” The Hospitality Association is a trade group that represents restaurants, hotels, and some entertainment venues.

“In the areas of our state that have been reopened, we’ve seen cases continue to drop as gatherings have moved to regulated, safe establishments,” Anton’s prepared statement reads “Yet we know we have more work to do: We must allow safe gathering spaces in every area of the state. We are committed to working with the Governor on reopening, determining stable metrics, and mapping a path to 50 percent indoor capacity to stop the spread of COVID.”

Anton also expressed support for the region that remains in Phase 1, saying WHA “will work with the Governor to understand why the region isn’t joining the rest of the state in reopening and how we can work toward a positive solution.”

More relief for businesses and renters

Inslee is authorizing the state Department of Commerce to distribute $43.5 million in rental assistance and the same amount in business assistance grants from the state’s Disaster Response Account, according to Inslee’s office.

The funds are “meant to build on the state’s previous commitments while we wait for additional federal aid expected to become available in the spring,” an email from a spokesperson reads.

Lisa Brown, director of the Department of Commerce, spoke at the Thursday press conference.

People who need help paying rent should visit commerce.wa.gov, Brown said. The website includes a “Housing/Rent Assistance” tab with more information, including a list of Eviction Rent Assistance Program providers by county.

The business funding will allow Commerce to open up the biggest round of Working Washington grants yet, Brown said.

“We will be able to assist thousands of businesses, and the Legislature has made it clear that we should look at both those who have been closed during the past year but also affected by our reduced activity and by being a supplier or a Main Street business that just has suffered a downturn in revenue during this pandemic,” she said.

The state Legislature has passed a bill that allocates $2.2 billion in federal COVID-19 relief funding. That bill includes $325 million for an emergency rental and utility assistance program and $240 million for Working Washington grants. The governor could sign it as early as next week, according to Inslee’s office.

Over the course of the pandemic, Commerce has distributed $110 million to more than 30,000 households via rental assistance programs, according to the governor’s office, and $200 million toward business and nonprofit assistance.