4:01 PM: A little over an hour ago, Gov. Inslee announced the “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” will end Sunday night as scheduled, and will be replaced with new directives and a county-by-county philosophy for reopening. So King County Executive Dow Constantine and health leaders are speaking now about this county’s next steps. We’re adding notes as it goes.
First – a news release is now out – here’s the full text:
King County Executive Dow Constantine, in consultation with Public Health – Seattle & King County leaders, announced that pending state approval, King County will begin to re-open some business activity with limited or modified openings for a number of sectors.
Working with community, business, and government partners – including the County Council and Board of Health leadership – King County Executive Dow Constantine announced that the county is prepared to move forward to allow limited or modified openings for several business sectors and personal activities.
King County has not yet met key criteria to enter Phase 2 of the Safe Start plan and case counts are still unstable, so it will move forward with a modified approach, including partial re-opening of the following businesses and activities:
Recreation and fitness
Only allowed outdoor with 5 — not including the instructor — or fewer people outside of householdGatherings
Only allowed outdoor of 5 or fewer people outside the householdAdditional construction
As outlined in Phase 2 guidanceManufacturing operations
As outlined in Phase 2 guidanceReal estate
25 percent of building occupancy
Indoor services limited to 30 minutesIn-store Retail
15 percent of building occupancy
Indoor services limited to 30 minutesPersonal Services (clarification: barbers/salons are part of this category)
25 percent of building occupancyProfessional services
25 percent of building occupancy
Indoor services limited to 30 minutes for customersPhotography
As outlined in Phase 2 guidancePet grooming
25 percent of building occupancyRestaurants
No indoor dining allowed
Outdoor dining is permitted but seating at 50 percent of existing outdoor capacity.King County will continue monitoring progress over the course of two weeks, and if metrics are more stable and meeting the state’s criteria, more businesses and activities will reopen in accordance with Phase 2.
“Thanks to the people of King County, whose united efforts have flattened the curve and saved thousands lives, we are ready to continue safely, carefully reopening our economy,” said Executive Constantine. “Our continued vigilance against the virus can help make this a one-way journey from lock-down back to prosperity, and I’m excited that folks will soon be able to support our local businesses by doing simple things like dining at an outdoor restaurant, getting a haircut, or shopping for a summer outfit.
On May 27, Public Health – Seattle & King County released a new dashboard featuring key Indicators, with targets that help inform reopening decisions. Based on trends toward all the targets, public health officials and policymakers believe these openings, done safely, will enable much-needed economic activity while also protecting the public and managing the spread of disease in our community.
“Working together, King County residents have made real progress in decreasing the number of COVID-19 cases and the burden on our healthcare system, allowing us to move forward cautiously at this time,” said Dr. Jeff Duchin, Health Officer for Public health – Seattle & King County. “The virus continues to circulate widely and most of us remain susceptible. With increased activities at work and other settings, there will be more opportunities for the virus to spread, so it’s absolutely essential that we sustain significant changes in how we go about our lives for the foreseeable future.”
With the limited re-opening, maintaining the safety principles that led to the success against the outbreak has never been more important. These include continuing to practice physical distancing of 6 feet or more, minimizing contact with others outside the home, frequent hand washing or sanitizer, use of cloth face coverings in public, and avoiding group gatherings and poorly ventilated spaces.
With testing increasingly available in King County, it’s critical that anyone with symptoms of COVID-19 seek a test immediately. Testing as soon as possible after symptoms appear is important to prevent COVID-19 from spreading to family, friends, and the community. Public Health’s COVID-19 website has more information about the testing, including to get tested.
4:05 PM: Constantine says all of this is a “big step” toward recovery, though the cost of the outbreak has been “devastating.” Though the county doesn’t fully qualify for Phase 2, things are “moving in the right direction.” He says this can be a “one-way journey back to prosperity” if everyone continues to act prudently and safely.
Next up: County Health Officer Dr. Jeff Duchin. He says this is a manageable level of cases but would like to see fewer.
In Q&A: Constantine says he’s confident that vigilance, plus contact tracing when there’s an infection, can work to keep the disease’s numbers down from hereon out. If anyone can do it, he says, King County can.
What about new CDC guidance advising that people drive to work alone? Constantine says it’s “not realistic to think that everyone in our region is going to be able to drive alone to work” so they’ve one everything they can to make transit safe. He says in particular, because of the West Seattle Bridge, our area will require more transit to get around (Water Taxi as well as buses).
What about high-risk people? They’re still at high risk, Dr. Duchin says, so advice continues that they stay home as much as possible. In response to another question, he says he beiieves what the county’s seeking is “appropriate.” He also reiterates the importance of getting tested quickly, and isolating if you’ve been exposed.
In response to two other questions, a timeline: They expect it’ll be a “few days … once we get the documentation together.” What about zoning to allow more outdoor dining? For the cities, it’s up to them; the county only has zoning jurisdiction for the unincorporated areas (such as White Center).
4:30 PM: More on the timeline – a statement from Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan says she was told the county will apply on Monday. So theoretically – within a week.
Asked about testing availability, Dr. Duchin says they’re continuing to work on expanded availability, and there should be more information about that on Monday. (The list he mentioned includes the new Friday testing at South Seattle College.) They’re already working on home testing.
At 4:37 pm, Constantine wraps up with words of gratitude. “Everybody stepped up in King County” to fight the outbreak. “We fought it, and got ahead of it, and we’re going to keep fighting it.” He says the trip “from lockdown to prosperity” needs to be a “one-way trip” … with “sustained control of this virus. … I am very confident that we have what it takes to keep this under control.”
Next up, a media briefing with Mayor Durkan. We’ll be covering that separately – it’s starting around 4:45 pm.
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