Today the Governor held a press conference to announce that no county will move back — or forward — in the state’s COVID-19 reopening plan for at least two weeks. Pausing the Healthy Washington plan means all 39 counties can remain in their current phases, and all counties’ status will be reevaluated again following the two-week pause. Read announcement details on the Governor’s Medium page.
In King and other counties, cases appear to have leveled so the focus during the pause will be on getting people vaccinated. “That is the solution to our frustration and anxiety – that is how we get out of this”, Governor Inslee urgently advised.
WA State has among the lowest COVD-19 case and death rates in the nation because agency and regional officials have maintained alignment with the Governor and respected overlapping authorities to retain a unified approach in combating the pandemic. The vast majority of private businesses and community organizations have adhered to safety protocols. Individual citizens getting vaccinated keep our state moving in a safe, healthy and thriving direction. As of today, 38% of the state’s population has been vaccinated with more than 5.5 million doses administered.
The Governor highlighted that incentives to being vaccinated are increasing across many sectors. Vaccinated people can attend Mariners games and sit in group settings with other vaccinated fans. Students can attend in-person classes at WA State universities in the fall.
The state has received over 100,000 complaints about non-adherence to safety protocols by citizens, resulting in thousands of investigations and $7.3 million in fines against business and organizations for risky infractions.
The Department of Health continues to emphasize that this air-born illness can be beaten by 1) helping get people vaccinated 2) improving Indoor Air Quality and 3) spending as much time outdoors as possible, while following safety protocols when in group settings.
