Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced Thursday that all counties in the state will move to Phase 3 as part of the COVID-19 “Roadmap To Recovery.” The change will bring new capacity levels for indoor restaurant dining, a limited number of spectators at sporting events and new eligibility for vaccines.
The changes across the state will go into effect March 22.
Inslee credited progress made in decreasing case rates and hospitalizations, and efforts to get more people vaccinated.
Vaccines: The move to the Tier 2 level for vaccinations starts Wednesday and will include workers in agriculture, food processing, grocery stores, public transit, firefighters and law enforcement, among others. The tier also includes people over the age of 16 who are pregnant or have a disability that puts them at high-risk, the governor’s office said in a news release.
Meanwhile, President Biden is set to direct states to make all adult Americans eligible to receive shots by no later than May 1, according to The New York Times, which reported that Biden will use his first prime-time, nationwide television address on Thursday to say he expects life in the U.S. to return to a kind of normal by the Fourth of July.
Sports: Spectators will be allowed to cheer their teams for the first time in a year, with the change impacting both professional and high school sports, as well as motorsports, rodeos, and other events. The new phase also allows for up to 400 people maximum to attend outdoor activities, as well as events in indoor facilities — so long as 400 people does not exceed 50% capacity for the location, and physical distancing and masking protocols are enforced. Larger venue events are capped at 25% occupancy, or up to 9,000 people, whichever is less.
- Baseball fans in Seattle will be able to watch the Mariners on opening night of the baseball season at T-Mobile Park on April 1. The team will allow up to 9,000 fans. Inslee ended his news conference on Thursday by saying, “Play ball.”
Welcome home. ????
We are excited to announce that 9,000 fans will be able to safely return to @TMobilePark, beginning on Opening Night, April 1st.
Everything you need to know ⤵️ https://t.co/hQaZOfaEaI pic.twitter.com/LbChMr6dSs
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) March 11, 2021
- The Seattle Sounders FC said that its aim is to host a limited amount of fans on April 16 for the club’s 2021 MLS home opener against Minnesota United. The club said it would have more details in the days ahead. It would be the first time fans have attended a soccer match since March 2020.
Restaurants and more: Phase 3 will allow up to 50% occupancy or 400 people maximum, whichever is lower, for all indoor spaces. This guidance applies to indoor activities currently allowed and directs restaurants, gyms and fitness centers, movie theaters and others to increase their capacity.
Keeping an eye on numbers: Counties will be individually evaluated every three weeks under the new plan and any county that fails one or more of the metrics in the chart below will move down one phase in the Heathy Washington plan.
Threats remain: New variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus are still a threat and Public Health – Seattle & King County stressed the need to reduce transmission and get as many people vaccinated as quickly and equitably as possible, before variant strains spread widely.
“If we let down our guard, these variant strains will make us pay,” Jeff Duchin, Health Officer, Public Health – Seattle & King County, said Thursday. “The upside is that we can take steps to limit the damage. The same precautions that have helped us drive down case counts in the past can also protect us from the variants, as long as we are diligent.”
from GeekWire https://www.geekwire.com/2021/washington-state-enter-phase-3-covid-recovery-biden-urge-vaccines-may-1/