On April 9, Gov. Jay Inslee announced new updates to the criteria for counties to stay in Phase 3 of the Healthy Washington reopening plan.

Under the current version of the plan, counties are individually evaluated on their case counts and hospitalizations every three weeks. The first evaluation occurs on Monday, April 12; resulting changes to a county's phase status take effect Friday, April 16.

In his most recent announcement, Gov. Inslee explained that a county will move back a phase if it fails both metrics for case counts and hospitalizations. Under the previous plan, a county was moved back if it failed only one metric. Additionally, the spectator events guidance has been updated to make clear what activities are allowed for counties in Phase 2 and how these events are related to school graduation ceremonies.

The recent change in criteria will allow many counties to remain in Phase 3 for now; however, there are a few counties that may be moved back to Phase 2. If a city is in a county that is moved back to Phase 2, that city will need to adjust its procedures for in-person public meetings and for employees currently working in-office.

As a reminder, city meetings subject to the Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA) will follow the same guidance as business meetings in the miscellaneous venue guidance document.

AWC appreciates the dedication of city leaders and staff during the recovery process to keep your communities safe and adjust to the ever-changing circumstances of the pandemic. We will continue to share more information as it becomes available.