fbpx

Spokane County Approved for Phase 2 in Reopening the State

Posted on by ahana 
Article from Spokane Valley Chamber Email

Spokane County’s COVID-19 variance application requesting approval to fully implement Phase II of Governor Inslee’s Phased Approach to Reopening Washington Plan has been approved with the following conditions:

  1. An individual business is only allowed to reopen after it can implement the state guidelines for a safe start. The guidelines can be accessed at: https://coronavirus.wa.gov/what-you-need-know/safe-start.
  2. Spokane Regional Health District must notify the Washington State Department of Health 24/7 on-call communicable disease duty officer at (206) 418-5500 of any COVID-19 outbreak within your jurisdiction and must do so within six (6) hours of your notification.
  3. Spokane Regional Health District is required to monitor the pandemic in our community for signs of community transmission or any concerning acceleration. If such condition(s) are found, they must promptly notify the Washington State Department of Health 24/7 on-call communicable disease duty officer at (206) 418-5500 and request a consult with the state’s infectious disease epidemiologist or health officer.
  4. Spokane County may not proceed to Phase III of Governor Inslee’s Phased Approach to Reopening Washington Plan without further authorization to do so from the State. In no case will authorization to move to the next phase be given without at least a three (3) week monitoring period.

 

Subject to the conditions in this variance, the activities and business services listed in Phase II of Governor Inslee’s Phased Approach to Reopening Washington Plan are now permitted in Spokane County and exempt from the Stay Home – Stay Health Proclamation’s prohibitions. These activities and business services are:

  • Recreation: Outdoor recreation involving 5 or fewer people outside your household (camping, beaches, etc.)
  • Gatherings: Gather with no more than 5 people outside your household per week
  • Travel: Essential travel and limited non-essential travel for Phase I & II permissible activities
  • Businesses/employers:
  • Remaining manufacturing
  • Additional construction phases
  • In-home/domestic services (nannies, housecleaning, etc.)
  • Retail (in-store purchases allowed with restrictions)
  • Real estate
  • Professional services/office-based businesses (telework remains strongly encouraged)
  • Hair and nail salons/barbers
  • Pet grooming
  • Restaurants/taverns <50% capacity and table size no larger than 5 (no bar-area seating)

People in high-risk populations are strongly encouraged to limit their participation in these Phase II activities and business services. High-risk populations are currently defined by the CDC as:

  • Persons 65 years of age and older;
  • People of all ages with underlying medical conditions (particularly not well controlled), including:
  • People with chronic lung disease or moderate to severe asthma,
  • People who have serious heart conditions,
  • People who are immunocompromised,
  • People with severe obesity,
  • People with diabetes,
  • People with chronic kidney disease undergoing dialysis, and
  • People with liver disease; and
  • People who live in a nursing home or long-term care facility.

This variance could be revoked if circumstances change within Spokane County, such as a significant community transmission, no or minimal access to CVOID-19 testing, inadequate surge capacity in the hospital system, inadequate PPE supplies, inadequate case and contact investigations, inadequate isolation or quarantine facilities, or other conditions warranting significant concern. The Governor also retains the right to re-impose restrictions upon our jurisdiction under his authority.

May 22nd Press Conference

 Variance Approval Letter

 

Phase 2 Business Activity Guidelines

Phase 1 Business Activity Guidelines