Gov. Inslee keeps Eastern Washington locked down

OLYMPIA – Eastern Washington businesses will have to wait at least two more weeks for coronavirus relief following a gubernatorial press conference at 2:30 p.m. today, Jan. 28.

During the press conference, Gov. Inslee said he will allow his so-called “Puget Sound” and “West” regions to move to “Phase 2” on Monday.

That means inside service will be allowed on a limited basis for restaurants, bars, taverns and other businesses. Limited sports will also be allowed, he said.

Snohomish, King, Pierce, Thurston, Lewis, Pacific and Grays Harbor counties can move to Phase 2.

But the remaining six regions – 32 counties in all – will have to wait until mid-February. That’s because state health officials will no longer review coronavirus-related data sets on a weekly basis.

Inside services will remain prohibited in those counties for the foreseeable future, as the state will no longer continue to update coronavirus data sets each Friday.

“The metrics will be posted every two weeks,” Deputy Secretary of Health Lacy Fehrenbach said during the press conference.

The governor’s move to keep Eastern Washington pinned down in Phase 1 for two more weeks will likely impact the effort to reopen high school sports.

The press conference was ongoing at the time this story was posted.

Author Bio

Roger Harnack, Publisher

Roger Harnack is co-owner and publisher of Free Press Publishing. An award-winning journalist, photographer, editor and publisher who grew up in Eastern Washington, he's one of only two Washington state journalists ever to receive the international Golden Quill for editorial/commentary writing. Roger is committed to preserving local media, and along with it, a local voice for Eastern Washington.

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