Phased Reopening Requirements - Updated

On Friday, May 29, Governor Inslee announced that the Stay Home, Stay Healthy Order will expire as planned at midnight on May 31, 2020. Replacing the Stay Home Order, is an expanded Safe Start – Washington’s Phased Reopening.

The newly expanded Safe Start gives counties more flexibility in allowing additional approved activities. A county not yet eligible for Phase 2 may move into a "modified" Phase 1, allowing for some Phase 2 activities.

King County Executive Dow Constantine announced a proposed plan to re-open limited activity in the county, under the option to enter into a modified Phase 1. Pending state approval, King County is preparing to move forward to allow limited or modified opening for business sectors and activities including recreation and fitness, in-store retail, real estate, personal and professional services, and more.

The Governor also announced that the updated target for incidence of new COVID-19 cases reported during a two-week period is now less than 25 per 100,000 residents, where the prior goal was less 10 per 100,000 residents.

Earlier this week, King County released a key indicators data dashboard that provides a snapshot of useful indicators and metrics related to COVID-19 activity in the county. The dashboard provides data and trends for the numbers of reported cases; the growth, stabilization, or shrinking of the outbreak; testing capacity; healthcare system readiness; and more.

Beginning June 1, any county can apply to move to the next phase. The application process will involve meeting criteria established by the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) around five key areas:

• Virus activity,
• Healthcare system readiness,
• Testing,
• Contact tracing, and
• Protecting vulnerable populations.

Also, beginning June 8, all workers will be required to wear face coverings and employers must post signage that strongly encourages customers to wear face coverings.

Follow this link for more information on the Safe Start - Washington's Phased Reopening by County.