Pierce County moves forward to apply for Phase 2 of the state’s COVID-19 recovery plan
Pierce County’s plans to move into Phase 2 of Gov. Jay Inslee’s Safe Start plan moved forward Sunday when Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department’s Board of Health unanimously approved sending an application to the state.
Phase 2 allows retailers to resume in-store purchases, restaurants to reopen with 50 percent capacity and table sizes no larger than five diners, and the re-start of new construction, real estate, hair and nail salons, and barbers.
The Board of Health approval is part of a process. The Pierce County Council must endorse the application in its Monday morning meeting, and County Executive Bruce Dammeier needs to submit the application to the Secretary of Health.
The county meets seven of the 10 state’s new targets.
Here’s where TPCHD says Pierce County currently measures on the state targets:
Fewer than 25 cases per 100,000 over 14 days. Pierce County: 18.3 cases
Hospitalization trend for COVID-19 is flat or decreasing. Pierce County: flat
Transmission rate is one, meaning when someone tests positive, they infect one other person on average. Transmission rate in Western Washington is currently one.
10 percent of licensed hospital beds occupied by patients. Pierce County: 8.9 percent
50 tests administered per COVID-case. Pierce County: 37.3 tests per case
2 percent of tests are positive. Pierce County: 2.7 percent
Median time from symptom onset to test collection is fewer than two days. Pierce County: two days
90 percent of cases contacted by investigators within 24 hours of positive lab results. Pierce County: 89 percent
80 percent of contacts are reached within 48 hours of a positive lab result. Pierce County: 82 percent
Two or fewer outbreaks at workplace or facilities for counties larger than 300,000. Pierce County: zero outbreaks last week
Gov. Jay Inslee announced Friday that new benchmarks, some with lower thresholds, would determine if a county could slowly reopen businesses and services. Counties can apply as soon as June 1.
Inslee said that the state will approve counties on a case by case basis and warned that counties could be “demoted” back to Phase 1 if it cannot maintain progress and meet targets.
Health Director Anthony Chen said if the county is approved for Phase 2, residents need to continue to practice public health measures, because the virus’ spread can change quickly.
“Everyone, you, me, everyone in Pierce County needs to continue to practice all the hygiene habits that we have acquired over the past few months,” he said to the board. “We have to maintain physical distance. We have to use face coverings when we’re in public.”
This story was originally published May 31, 2020 at 4:14 PM.
