Pierce County Council approves Phase 2 application; Dammeier’s signature all that’s needed
This story has been updated.
Pierce County Council voted unanimously Monday to approve the county’s application to move to Phase 2 of Gov. Jay Inslee’s Safe Start plan.
County Executive Bruce Dammeier was expected to sign the plan and forward it to the state.
Health Director Dr. Anthony Chen said the health department was finishing the application.
“We know Pierce County residents and leaders are anxious to get moving, get our economy going, and to give people more freedom with the restrictions, while ensuring we can continue to protect public health,” the health department’s spokesperson Edie Jeffers said in an email Monday evening.
The state will decide if Pierce County reopens. The Secretary of Health can approve the plans as submitted, approve with modifications or deny the application. Until then, the county remains under Phase 1 restrictions.
The application includes Pierce County’s plans for contact tracing, testing, housing to allow those who need to isolate or quarantine but cannot, and an outline to respond to outbreaks at workplace or living facilities.
Gov. Jay Inslee’s Office released the Phase 2 allowances on Sunday:
Gathering with no more than five people a week
Restaurants can have 50 percent capacity, with table size no larger than 5 and no bar seating
Additional construction and manufacturing restrictions are relaxed
Limited small groups for fitness and recreation
Real estate, pet grooming shops, personal and professional services like salons and tattoo parlors can open with limited occupancy
Office-based businesses are encouraged to telework
Drive-in movie theaters are permitted
In-home services, like nannies and cleaning services can resume
Once Inslee announced Friday that new benchmarks for counties, some with lower thresholds, Pierce County has rushed to file for June 1.
In the press conference, 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.
Pierce County meets seven of the these 10 metrics, according to the TPCHD:
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
Chen said two targets were added yesterday afternoon in the final application. It is currently unclear what the added metrics are and where Pierce County falls.
These new targets don’t change his belief that Pierce County is eligible to apply, he said.
Council members Derek Young and Connie Ladenburg mentioned those targets the county doesn’t meet are within reach.
“We are heading in the right direction so hopefully that makes a difference for the health department,” Ladenburg said.
This story was originally published June 1, 2020 at 11:17 AM.
