The return of Friday Night Lights could be a ways away. (Katy Wells photo)
Island County is in Phase 3 of Washington state’s four-phase COVID-19 reopening plan.
But it won’t be going to Phase 4 any time soon.
And, for that matter, neither will any other counties.
The Washington State Department of Health issued a press release Saturday announcing a “pause on counties moving to Phase 4.”
“Phase 4 would mean a return to normal activity and we can’t do that now due to the continued rise in cases across the state,” Washington state Governor Jay Inslee said in the press release.
“We all want to get back to doing all the things we love in Washington during the summer, and fully open our economy, but we aren’t there yet.
“This is an evolving situation and we will continue to make decisions based on the data.”
State Secretary of Health John Weisman issued the following letter:
Dear Local and Tribal Health Leaders,
I am writing to let you know Governor Inslee and I have decided to pause progression to Phase 4 statewide.
We decided to prohibit any counties from moving into phase 4 at this time due to increasing COVID-19 activity across the state and significant rebounds in COVID-19 activity in several other states.
The changes between Phase 3 and Phase 4, especially with regards to gathering size and occupancy rates, could further increase the spread of COVID-19 in our state, even in communities that have very low rates of disease.
The progress we’ve made thus far is at risk, therefore we are making the prudent choice to slow down our phased approach to reopening.
In the next couple of weeks, I will work with Governor Inslee and his team to assess the need for a modified approach for moving beyond Phase 3.
I will communicate that decision to you when we have more information.
Counties that are currently able to apply to move from Phase 1 or 2 are still able to apply when eligible.
Thank you for your continued work to protect the health of Washingtonians during this unprecedented time.
For those looking at this from a sports perspective, current Washington Interscholastic Activities Association guidelines state “low risk” sports, such as cross country and swimming, can begin competition in Phase 3.
“Moderate risk” sports, such as volleyball, basketball, and soccer, can begin games when a county is in Phase 4.
Three “high risk” sports — football, wrestling, and competitive cheer — have no current timeline for when games will be allowed to restart.
