PIERCE COUNTY — Pierce County's leading health official is warning residents: shape up, or risk kicking the county back into Phase 1.
If Pierce County was knocked down into Phase 1, it would be the first Washington county move backwards in Gov. Inslee's 4-phase Safe Start plan to reopen the economy. It also would take a serious toll on businesses: returning to Phase 1 would close all but the most essential businesses once again, shuttering retailers, restaurants, construction and more.
Pierce County entered Phase 2 over two weeks ago. If cases had continued to drop as they did on the path to Phase 2, Pierce County would be eligible to apply for Phase 3 by this Friday. But Dr. Anthony L-T Chen, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department's Director of Health, says that's not happening now, and that residents must take the virus more seriously or risk that backwards slide into the first phase.
According to Chen, Pierce County had about 16 coronavirus cases per every 100,000 residents over the two weeks leading up to their Phase 2 application. Now, after two weeks in Phase 2, that number has nearly doubled to 31.5 cases. The number of coronavirus cases per 100,000 residents over two weeks is one of the key metrics used to determine if a county can move forward in the Safe Start plan. The goal is to have fewer than 25, meaning Pierce County no longer meets the metric it needed to enter the second Phase in the first place.
According to the state's COVID-19 risk assessment dashboard, as of Wednesday Pierce County was also failing two more of the states five key metrics: 4.2 percent of residents who take the coronavirus test receive positive results, above the goal of 2 percent, and the county only tests 23.5 people per each new case of the coronavirus, when it should be testing more than 50.
To avoid going back in that first phase, Chen says residents need to start taking the virus as seriously as they did when the pandemic first hit.
"COVID-19 continues to be widespread in Pierce County. It affects every geographic area of our community, all age groups and all ethnic groups," writes Chen. "In the last few weeks, we have seen more cases among those 40 and under. We have seen cases among businesses. Traffic and cellphone mobility are up. This tells us people are going out and about, getting exposed and exposing others."
Chen goes on to urge residents to consider the following safety tips:
- Wear a facial covering or mask while in public. The governor's mandate requiring facial coverings in public also goes into effect Friday, but Chen says residents should wear masks regardless of the law, as a common courtesy to others.
- Stay at home as much as possible.
- Make sure your gatherings are small. Under Phase 2 groups should be limited to five or fewer and should only include a small circle of friends or family members.
- Get tested for the coronavirus if you have any symptoms or have been in a larger gathering.
- Wash your hands, cover coughs, and practice good hygiene.
The Health Director's latest update is not all doom-and-gloom, however. Chen does note that if the county follows these safety guidelines, while they it could not qualify for a Phase 3 reopening any time soon, a short term improvement in coronavirus cases might allow the county to enter a "modified Phase 3" in the near future. Like the modified Phase 1 King County used before entering Phase 2 in full, a modified Phase 3 would split the difference between Phases 2 and 3, allowing for some looser restrictions, but not as many as would be allowed in a full Phase 3. Phase 3 allows restaurants to reopen at 75 percent capacity, and gatherings of up to 50 people, among other perks.
Chen says the county hopes to announce the modified Phase 3 proposal soon, but that proposal still hinges on the community pulling together, and slowing the spread of the virus as well as they did during Phase 1.
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June 26, 2020 at 02:09AM
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