Gov. Inslee: Washington is moving to ‘new lifeboat’

More than two months after a statewide stay-at-home order helped reduce the spread of the coronavirus, Gov. Jay Inslee said it’s time for Washington to step into “a new lifeboat.”

During an hourlong news conference Friday, Inslee announced that the stay-at-home order will expire at midnight Sunday. It’s being replaced with an expanded “Safe Start” reopening plan that emphasizes the use of face coverings, while giving counties greater flexibility in moving forward.

“It’s really important to understand, we’re not done yet,” Inslee said. “This (COVID-19 virus) can still increase dramatically very rapidly. We’ve learned that we can prevent it from coming back, but only if we replace what we were doing with another approach.”

The governor likened the social distancing measures and business closures mandated by the stay-at-home order to a lifeboat that helped save lives during the initial stages of the pandemic.

Now, as businesses begin to reopen and social interactions increase, he said, “we’re getting out of that (social distancing) lifeboat, but we need another boat to get into. That’s contact tracing and wearing masks.”

Beginning June 8, the use of cloth facial coverings will be mandatory for all public and private employees, unless they’re working alone or have no in-person interactions with co-workers or the public. Employers are responsible for providing the masks.

Groceries and retail stores will also be required to post signs encouraging customers to wear masks, although they don’t need to deny service to anyone who refuses.

In addition to wearing masks, people are encouraged to continue social distancing and practicing other safety protocols.

Inslee spent much of the news conference promoting the new mask policy, saying face coverings are proving to be one of the most effective tools for “interrupting the chain of transmission” and reducing spread of the coronavirus.

“I’m really happy there’s something we can do individually to pitch in here,” he said. “Our destiny is in our hands. Each one of us can be a leader, and has the ability to do some relatively simple things that protect others. This is really a good news story.”

In addition to face coverings, Inslee said the pace at which Washington reopens its economy will now be determined on a county-by-county basis, based on specific health criteria.

He previously announced a four-phase reopening plan that would allow all businesses to reopen by the end of July, at the earliest, if the state showed continued improvement in COVID-19 case numbers and infection rates.

Some counties — including Asotin, Garfield and Whitman — were able to advance to Phase 2, if they hadn’t reported any new cases in at least three weeks.

Beginning Monday, counties will be able to request variances to move to Phase 3, so long as they’ve spent at least three weeks in Phase 2.

Other criteria they’ll need to meet include having fewer than 25 new COVID-19 cases reported in the past two weeks, per 100,000 in population; having adequate hospital capacity to treat any new cases; having adequate testing capacity and a low positive test rate; and having the manpower to perform rapid contact tracing to identify and communicate with anyone who may have come in contact with someone who tests positive.

Garfield County was one of the first counties in the state to be approved for Phase 2; consequently, it can request a Phase 3 variance this coming week, if it meets all the requirements. Whitman County could apply Friday, at the earliest, while Asotin County could apply the following week.

In Phase 3, bars and taverns can open at 25 percent capacity. Movie theaters and indoor gyms can open at 50 percent capacity, and restaurants can expand to 75 percent, up from 50 percent in Phase 2. Libraries and museums can also reopen, and nonessential travel can resume.

Specific details on the reopening stages and variance criteria can be found online at coronavirus.wa.gov.

Inslee said the shift away from social distancing to this new strategy is based on a belief that the people of Washington will continue to do what’s right.

“Our decisions today are based on confidence in Washingtonians,” he said. “We’re confident they’ll accept these new tools for reducing transmissions. We’re confident people will pull together. We’re confident we can make these changes so we can reopen our communities.”

Spence may be contacted at bspence@lmtribune.com or (208) 791-9168.