Skagit County petitions for early Phase 2 reopening

Friday afternoon the Skagit County Board of Health asked Gov. Jay Inslee and Washington Department of Health Secretary John Wiesman for a variance from the state’s Start Safe Plan criteria to allow Skagit County to move forward to Phase 2 “today, and by June 1 at the latest.”

The Board’s May 22 letter followed Gov. Inslee’s May 19 announcing moving to Phase 2 of the Safe Start Plan required meeting the benchmark of fewer than 10 new cases per 100,000 residents over a 14 day period for counties with populations over 75,000. Skagit County needs to have no more than 13 new cases over 14 days to a...