Washington moves to Phase 3, return to in-person spectators at sporting events

Governor Jay Inslee has announced that Healthy Washington: Roadmap to Recovery will be transitioning from a regional approach to a county-by-county evaluation process. Inslee also announced a new third phase of the Roadmap and a return for in-person spectators for professional and high school sports.

Effective March 22, the entire state will enter Phase 3.

“Because of the progress we’ve made by decreasing our case rates and hospitalizations, as well as our tremendous efforts to get more people vaccinated, our reopening plan is once again based on counties, not regions,” Inslee said during today’s press conference. “We are excited to take this step and we will keep evaluating our progress, and the impacts of these changes, to determine how and when we reopen further.”

Additionally, the governor announced that starting Wednesday, March 17, everyone in Tier 2 will be eligible for their Covid vaccine. This includes workers in agriculture, food processing, grocery stores, public transit, firefighters and law enforcement, among others. Tier 2 also includes people over the age of 16 who are pregnant or have a disability that puts them at high-risk.

Under the updated plan, counties will be individually evaluated every three weeks. The evaluations will occur on Mondays with any possible changes taking effect Friday, with the first evaluation scheduled for April 12.

In addition to being individually evaluated, large and small counties will have different sets of criteria. If any county fails one or more of the metrics below, that county will move down one phase in the Heathy Washington plan.

For large counties to remain in Phase 3, defined as counties with more than 50,000 residents, they must keep a 14-day average of new Covid cases at or below 200 per 100,000 residents, and a seven-day average of new hospitalizations per 100,000 at five or fewer. Currently, Whatcom County 14-day average is 234.4 per 100,000.

Smaller counties, those with populations of 50,000 or less, must maintain a 14-day average of new cases at 30 or fewer, and a new seven-day hospitalization average at three or fewer.

If at any point the statewide ICU capacity reaches greater than 90 percent, all counties will move down one phase. The department of health maintains the ability to move a county forward or backward at its discretion.

“We know there is enthusiasm around opening of schools and businesses and that advancing to Phase 3 is welcome news to many Washingtonians,” said Lacy Fehrenbach, Deputy Secretary for the Department of Health’s Covid-19 response. “We want to keep going forward together out of the pandemic, and our success hinges upon wearing masks, washing our hands, watching our distance, keeping social circles small – and of course, getting vaccinated when it’s our turn. These are the things that will help us suppress Covid-19, which is the key to our continued forward progress towards recovery.”

Phase 3

Sports guidance will change in Phase 3 to allow in-person spectators at events for the first time in a year. Spectators will be allowed to attend outdoor venues with permanent seating with capacity capped at 25 percent. The change effects both professional and high school sports, as well as motorsports, rodeos and other outdoor spectator events. Social distancing and facial covering are still required.

The new phase also allows for up to 400 people maximum to attend outdoor activities, as well as events in indoor facilities – so long as 400 people does not exceed 50 percent capacity for the location, and physical distancing and masking protocols are enforced. Larger venue events are capped at 25 percent occupancy, or up to 9,000 people, whichever is less, and must follow certain spectator guidelines.

Additionally, Phase 3 will allow up to 50 percent occupancy or 400 people maximum, whichever is lower, for all indoor spaces. This applies to all industries and indoor activities currently allowed; restaurants, gyms and fitness centers and movie theaters, among others, may all increase their capacity.

“Some of the hardest hit businesses in Washington will be able to return to 50 percent capacity as we continue on the road to recovery,” Inslee said. “On March 22, we make one more step to beating this virus and rejuvenating our economy.”