We’re now less than two weeks from the current expiration date on the stay-home order. That’s where we start our nightly roundup of virus-crisis news:

WILL PHASE 2 START ON JUNE 1? The governor was asked about that twice during his media briefing today. As noted during our as-it-happened coverage, his answer was basically, too soon to say.

DON’T DELAY YOUR HEALTH/DENTAL CARE: That was the main message of today’s briefing. Gov. Inslee issued a proclamation that says in essence, providers can reopen when they feel they’re ready to follow the new protocol, including ample PPE for patients as well as staff.

ANOTHER BRIEFING TOMORROW: The governor will speak and have Q&A again at 11 am tomorrow, announced as an opportunity “to talk about the plan for additional county variances and announce emergency small-business grants.” Here’s the link for the planned livestream.

NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the Public Health daily-summary dashboard:

*7,529 people have tested positive, up 49 from yesterday

*523 people have died, up 1 from yesterday

One week ago, those totals were 7,115 and 505.

STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find them here.

WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: Find them here.

FREE FOOD: Food Lifeline has two more distributions this week.

UNEMPLOYMENT IMPOSTERS: The state Employment Security Department issued an update on the problem today, and urged people to report any evidence of fraud – here’s where to go.

FAKE SIGN: A texter called this to our attention – an almost-real-looking fake sign at the Sanislo Elementary playground:

ENDING ON A NOTE OF GRATITUDE: A real, and very creative, sign in Arbor Heights – thanks to Andrea R. for the photo:

GOT INFO? PHOTOS? Email westseattleblog@gmail.com or text/voice 206-293-6302 – thank you!

2:37 PM: Just under way, Gov. Inslee is talking about reopening for elective medical procedures. He’s joined by Bill Robertson, president and CEO of MultiCare; Sally Watkins, executive director of the Washington State Nurses Association; and Vice Admiral Dr. Raquel Bono, director, Washington state COVID-19 health care response. We’ll add notes as it goes.

2:40 PM: He opens with words of gratitude for health-care providers but says we’ve weathered the peak and so he says he’s issuing a proclamation allowing non-urgent medical and dental procedures, if safety protocol can be followed. … He says PPE availability and hospital capacity remain key in “readiness” for this. He acknowledges that getting PPE may be a challenge for some providers and so that might affect their ability to reopen. Waiting-room limits, distancing, hygiene are other parts of the new rules. Regarding hospital capacity, he says there’s now a tool to track that in real time.

He urges people not to be afraid to contact their health-care professional to talk about their concerns and needs.

2:44 PM: Watkins is talking about the guidelines and how they help individual providers assess their readiness. She says they don’t intend “unintended health consequences” by people delaying important care such as vaccinations. Robertson subsequently reiterates that message – don’t avoid care if you need it.

2:56 PM: Now it’s media Q&A. First question is about governors’ call with the president today; Inslee says he was not it. Next question: What about June 1? “We would really like to move to Phase 2, but we can’t guarantee when that will happen. … we will be able to make that decision in the days leading up to that time … we have to look at the course of this disease. … We are hopeful; there have been some signs of progress recently … but we’re going to have to monitor this on a daily basis in the next several weeks.”

Next question: A new study claims up to 13 percent of Washington’s 1,000 COVID-19 fatalities might be from another cause. Inslee says even if that were so: “887 deaths – that’s OK?” He then goes on to decry “conspiracy theories” as “disappointing … I’ve heard people say things that are from a different planet.”

Then: Why did the governor change his mind about requiring restaurant patrons to leave contact information? “We figured we’re going to get enough voluntary compliance … to not risk disagreements at the reservation counter.”

Also: If we get to Phase 4 as soon as mid-July, might we get back to large sporting events? “We don’t know …. we need to make the decisions when we have the information” to make them, Inslee replied. He adds that the success in the next few months will be related to the 14-day isolation capability of people who test positive and their families, or people otherwise exposed.

What about testing capacity? Inslee says again that the state has a good capacity for analyzing samples – 20,000 a day – but doesn’t have enough materials to do that many tests, because the federal government still isn’t living up to its commitment. He goes on to detail a “maddening” case of getting the wrong supplies. Then he says that he’s also infuriated that the president has said that testing is overrated.

Another question about when the Phase 2 decision will be made. Inslee repeats that when they have enough data “in the days leading up to” June 1st, he’ll decide. What’s the criteria? He lists some of the types of data they are monitoring, not just positive cases and deaths – hospitalizations, for example, and the much-mentioned “R0” number – how many additional people are infected by each new patient – and he says that number is back around 1.

3:17 PM: Asked a followup about the earlier mention of a possible error in the fatality total, the governor clarifies that he has no reason to doubt the number is accurate, and again decries “conspiracy theories” as “disgusting” and “malarkey.”

Three minutes later, he wraps up. The video window above should show the recording soon. And we’ll add a link when the medical/dental proclamation document is available.

5:23 PM: Here’s the full writeup from the governor’s office; here’s the proclamation.