New guidelines ease the path to Phase 2 for Snohomish County

EVERETT — Gov. Jay Inslee smoothed the path Friday for Snohomish County to reopen stores, restaurants, beauty salons and other businesses shuttered for weeks under an emergency order aimed at blunting the spread of coronavirus.

That order, issued in March, will not be extended when it expires Sunday. The state is pivoting its recovery strategy to let counties reopen at their own pace if they are equipped to test, treat and contain outbreaks of coronavirus in their communities.

There will be restrictions and a new statewide requirement for workers to wear masks and to encourage customers to do so, as well.

Starting Monday, any county can apply to the secretary of health to advance through the state’s four phases of reopening as long as they’ve been in their current phase for at least three weeks. An application will be reviewed against a new set of metrics covering the rates of new infections, the number of tests conducted and the capacity of local hospitals.

“Now this does not mean, obviously, that we will return to normal,” Inslee said. “It means that three months to the day that we declared a state of emergency, we’re successfully moving forward.”

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