King County Phase 3: WA Leaders Rule On Reopening Status

SEATTLE — Washington state leaders completed the first review of reopening phases Monday, and King County met the standard to stay in Phase 3, avoiding the reinstatement of tougher restrictions. Last Friday, Gov. Jay Inslee adjusted the criteria requiring counties to meet only one of two metrics to avoid a rollback. King County narrowly satisfied both thresholds.

Three counties failed to make the cut: Pierce, Cowlitz and Whitman. They will revert to Phase 2 on Friday, cutting indoor capacity in half and placing more strict limits on recreational activities.

Here are the metrics the state uses to evaluate each county's progress:

"These metric trends are driven by the virus and we must continue to do everything we can to sharpen our focus and keep COVID-19 activity down," Inslee said Monday. "We are so close to the end of the tunnel here — we have made tremendous progress and we must keep our focus. It's like a football game; we have done 95 yards on a 99-yard drive. We can't let up now. These are not punitive actions; they are to save lives and protect public health."

According to the latest public health data, King County's rate of weekly hospitalizations comfortably fell within the standard for Phase 3, while the rate of new cases fell much closer to the line.

Last week, the public health officer warned that King County could face a rollback in the future if the metrics continue to trend in the wrong direction before the wider population is vaccinated. While eligibility opens broadly on Thursday, health officials expect vaccine deliveries will be well below the level needed to meet the increasing demand for much of April.

"Clearly, the threat of COVID-19 will decrease as more people are protected through vaccination," Dr. Jeff Duchin said. "Today, vaccination alone is not enough. Abandoning COVID-19 prevention behaviors now is like sending the fire department away while the house is still burning."

In the meantime, new cases and hospitalizations among younger adults have moved in a concerning direction since March, and new infections remain highest among residents ages 18 to 24.

"The increasing number of hospitalizations among young adults reinforces that, although the rate of hospitalizations is low in this group, when COVID-19 is widespread severe cases will occur, even in younger people," Duchin said. "COVID-19 can cause severe disease in people of all ages."

If the county keeps its guard up for a little longer, the situation could improve drastically as early as next month.

"As more of us are vaccinated, the risk will gradually subside, but it's not an on/off switch," Duchin said. "We need to work together for a couple more weeks in preventing COVID transmission in the community. I believe by sometime in May, the risk will have greatly diminished."

State leaders evaluate all 39 counties' reopening status every three weeks, and the next review is scheduled for Monday, May 3.

Learn more about the differences between Washington's three reopening phases.