Both Clallam and Jefferson counties will enter Phase 2 almost fully today.
The only Phase 2 activity not allowed on the North Olympic Peninsula at this time is overnight camping — an activity that will be approved once the rest of the state is in Phase 2 — in order to help limit the number of tourists who travel to the county campgrounds, health officials have said.
The state parks also will not open to overnight camping until the entire state does, they said.
Clallam County Undersheriff Ron Cameron said Sunday the county’s coronavirus hotline will be manned from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday this week for people, particularly business owners, who may have questions about the Phase 2 opening. That number is 360-417-2430.
There were no new cases reported in either Jefferson or Clallam counties this weekend. Jefferson County remains at 30 positive cases and Clallam 25. Jefferson County has not had a new case since April 9.
“This is not over, this is just a lull,” said Jefferson County Health Officer Dr. Tom Locke. “We want to keep it a lull.”
Both counties will have COVID-19 updates today.
Jefferson County’s update will be at 9:45 a.m. and can be viewed at www.tinyurl.com/jeffcomeeting. Locke said the focus will be on the Phase 2 reopening and an update on the effectiveness of masks from preventing the spread of the virus.
Clallam County’s update will be held at 10 a.m. and can be viewed at www.tinyurl.com/clallamcomtng.
Cameron said he is looking forward to a sit-down meal.
“I’m excited about getting back out to the restaurants,” he said. “I want to get back out there.”
On May 1, Gov. Jay Inslee announced his “Safe Start Washington” plan, which slowly reopens the economy and recreational activities across the state through a four-phase process after his “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order was issued in March to slow the spread of COVID-19.
The governor’s office has adopted a staged approach which allows the different phases to progress on a county-by-county basis.
Officials of individual counties can choose to not allow all activities of the next phase until the entire state has permitted them.
Phase 1 and Phase 2 activities have had guidelines published. Most of the guidelines are hyper-linked on the online version of this story at www.peninsuladailynews.com. The full guidelines can be viewed at tinyurl.com/PDN-SafeStartGuidelines.
The guidelines for Phase 3 and Phase 4 are still in development.
Each county must be in a phase for at least three weeks before moving into the next phase, as well as meet additional case number and health care availability restrictions, the governor’s office said.
Phase 1
• Construction — existing construction that had already begun.
• Spiritual drive-in services — with only one household allowed per vehicle.
• Car washes.
• Landscape services and outdoor maintenance.
• Pet walking.
• Outdoor recreation, including hunting, fishing, golf, boating and hiking.
• Restart of all medical and dental services.
Phase 2
• Dine-in restaurants and taverns up 50 percent capacity with tables seating no more than five; no bar seating.
• In-store retail up 30 percent capacity.
• Additional manufacturing operations.
• Professional services/office-based businesses. However, teleworking is still strongly encouraged.
• Personal services, including cosmetologists, hairstylists, barbers, estheticians, master estheticians, manicurists, nail salon workers, electrologists, permanent makeup artists, tattoo artists, cosmetology schools and esthetics schools.
• Outdoor recreation, including overnight camping and activities involving five or fewer people outside a single household.
• Gatherings with no more than five people outside a single household each week.
• Additional construction.
• Pet grooming.
• Staffed physical fitness studios for private instruction.
• Real estate services.
• Indoor religious services up to 25 percent capacity with a 50 person maximum.
Phase 3
• Outdoor group recreational sports with 50 or fewer people.
• Recreational facilities, such as public pools and gyms, open at 50 percent capacity.
• Gatherings of no more than 50 people.
• Resume non-essential travel.
• Restaurants and taverns at 75 percent capacity with table seating no more than 10.
• Bar areas in restaurants and taverns at 25 percent capacity.
• Professional sports without audience participation.
• Movie theaters up to 50 percent capacity.
• Customer-facing government services, with telework still strongly encouraged.
• Libraries.
• Museums.
• All other business activities not listed yet except for nightclubs and events with greater than 50 people.
Phase 4
• All recreational activity resumes.
• Gatherings of more than 50 people.
• Nightclubs.
• Large sporting events.
• Resume unrestricted staffing at work sites but practicing physical distancing and good hygiene still encouraged.
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Jefferson County reporter Zach Jablonski can be reached by email at [email protected].
Sports Editor Pierre LaBossiere contributed to this report. He can be reached by email at [email protected].
