This is a bad sign for COVID-19’s reopening plan in western Washington. On Tuesday, Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers said the area was in danger of reversing its reopening course amid a recent spike in cases of the new coronavirus, if things did not improve soon.
Snohomish, like King County, is currently in phase two of Washington’s “Safe Start” reopening plan, which allows restaurants to open to 50 percent of their indoor and outdoor capacity. However, with a recent increase in cases (42 new cases per 100,000 people, versus the phase two benchmark of 25 per 100,000), the county may need to return to phase one, Somers said. If that was the case, all recently reopened dining rooms should be closed again, and restaurants and bars can only serve takeout and delivery.
“A week or so ago, I would have thought it was a long shot. I don’t feel that way anymore, ”Somers said. “I think going back to phase one is clearly one of the options that could be in front of us, looking at what is happening across the country with places that have opened too early and are seeing big peaks. If we see that kind of thing here, and we are really emphasizing our hospital capacity, I can see the possibility of a call to go back to phase one. “
If Snohomish ended up investing his career in the reopening, he would be the first county in Washington to do so, and it would not bode well for Seattle. An increase in King County COVID-19 cases has alarmed local officials, with a recent increase of 60 percent week-over-week. “Friends of King County, this is getting serious,” Jeffrey Duchin, Seattle and King County Public Health Health Officer, wrote on Twitter Monday night. “The cases increase, the holidays arrive and the risk is greater than it has been in months. Critical to avoid crowds, minimize close contacts, wear a face mask. “
Last week, Governor Jay Inslee reacted to the recent spread of the new coronavirus in the state by making face masks mandatory. Under the new rule, people must wear face covers in public indoors as well as outdoors if they can’t keep six feet of social distance. Inslee also said it would stop any county seeking to move to phase four of the state’s reopening plan, which would essentially mean that there are no restrictions.
At this point, no state official has mentioned plans for a Washington county to return to a more restrictive phase in which each is. But across the country, where COVID-19 cases have skyrocketed in states and cities that reopened early, lawmakers have issued mandates for bars and restaurants to close again.
