All Washington counties now in phase 3 as state moves toward reopening

SEATTLE — Washington celebrates another step on Tuesday in the race to recovery from the coronavirus.

Last week, Gov. Jay Inslee gave the green light for Pierce, Cowlitz, Whitman and Ferry counties to advance from phase 2 to phase 3, putting all the counties in the state on an even playing field.

That means 50% indoor capacity for restaurants and retail.

Inslee emphasized that individual businesses can still require people to wear masks, but the state will not.

Many hope it’s the final move before a full reopening of the state on June 30.

That could happen sooner if 70% of people 16 and older get at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose.

“I want this all behind us and not have to worry about it. June 30; I’m excited, I’m a little apprehensive,” said George Hancock with the Jolly Roger Taproom.

While the state is on track to reopen, rollbacks could still happen if hospital intensive care unit capacity reaches 90% at any point.

Moving forward, the state’s fight against COVID-19 will focus on increasing vaccination rates and continuing to monitor variants as the state moves toward reopening.

So far, 56% of Washingtonians have received at least one vaccine dose and 6 million doses have been administered.

Cox Media Group