COVID-19 Update from Executive Somers

Snohomish County, Washington sent this bulletin at 03/11/2021 04:10 PM PST

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Snohomish County Responds: March 11, 2021 Update

State to enter phase 3 of reopening plan; people in tier 2 eligible for vaccines, sports teams to welcome fans

Gov. Jay Inslee announced the next phase of the state’s reopening plan, mentioning some outdoor spectator events would be allowed.

Starting March 22, the state will transition to a county-by-county evaluation process and all counties will begin in phase 3.

There will be certain restrictions, but Inslee said the Mariners will be able to welcome fans in person on Opening Day. The Mariners’ home opener is scheduled for April 1 against the San Francisco Giants.

In phase 3, outdoor events in facilities with permanent seating will have up to 25% capacity for spectators who are physically distanced and wearing masks, according to the governor’s office.

This does not just apply to spring professional sports teams. High school sports, motorsports, rodeos and other similar outdoor spectator events will adhere to the same restrictions.

The governor said expanded spectator capacity for high school and youth sports will start on Mar. 18.

Inslee also announced starting March 17, everyone in Tier 2 will be eligible for their COVID-19 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.

After moving into phase 3, counties will be 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.

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%, all counties will move down one Phase. The Department of Health always maintains the ability to move a county forward or backward at their discretion.

For more information: https://medium.com/wagovernor/inslee-announces-statewide-move-to-phase-3-of-recovery-plan-return-to-spectator-events-and-tier-2-4a53000f2724