OKANOGAN – Okanogan County was approved today to move into Phase 2 of Gov. Jay Inslee’s “Safe Start” plan toward reopening the county.
“Today Washington State Secretary of Health John Wiesman approved Okanogan County to move into Phase 2 of Gov. Jay Inslee’s Safe Start plan,” said Okanogan County Public Health in their Friday, June 5 update on the number of COVID-19 cases.
An individual business is only allowed to reopen after it can implement the state guidelines for a safe start. The guidelines can be accessed at: https://coronavirus.wa.gov/what-you-need-know/safe-start.
People in high-risk populations are strongly encouraged to limit their participation in these Phase II activities and business services. High-risk populations are currently defined by the CDC as:
- Persons 65 years of age and older;
- People of all ages with underlying medical conditions (particularly not well controlled), including:
- People with chronic lung disease or moderate to severe asthma,
- People who have serious heart conditions,
- People who are immunocompromised,
- People with severe obesity,
- People with diabetes,
- People with chronic kidney disease undergoing dialysis, and
- People with liver disease; and
- People who live in a nursing home or long-term care facility
“If circumstances change within Okanogan County change, the Secretary of Health can modify the current phase or move the county back into an earlier phase. Okanogan County officials can also identify if we need to return to an earlier phase or eliminate approved activities,” states the agency.
Of the 1687 samples sent for testing, 1571 had negative test results and there are 50 test results pending.
The next COVID-19 Update will be Monday June 8, 2020. Case counts updated daily Monday – Friday (except holidays) at: https://www.okanogandem.org/novel-coronavirus19-covid-19.
More information available
Learn more about reopening and the statewide response to COVID-19 at www.coronavirus.wa.gov.
The state Department of Health Call Center is 1-800-525-0127 Press # after the prompt
Education & Information www.doh.wa.gov/emergencies/coronavirus.
Okanogan County Alerts: Text the word “coronavirus” to 211-211 to receive information and updates on your phone or sign up for alerts from Emergency Management at: https://www.okanogandem.org.
