Governor Inslee announced Eastern Washington can now move on into Phase 2 of COVID guidelines beginning Valentine’s Day, February 14th. Additionally, the governor also announced a new round of COVID financial support for business and rental relief.

The governor was pleased to share the science as he presented 14-day trend metrics graphs for the state. With the exception of the South Central region, all areas in the state show the disease is trending downward in three of the four measuring categories. Having met the trend criteria, the East Washington region, which includes the counties of Spokane, Stevens, Pend Oreille, Ferry, Lincoln, Garfield, Whitman, Adams, and Asotin, can now move into Phase 2.   

After affirming the statistics and giving the go-ahead, Governor Inslee brought forth Lisa Brown, director, Department of Commerce, to discuss an additional $87 million of financial relief for businesses and renters. The Department of Commerce will be distributing the funds, with $43.5 million going towards businesses and $43.5 million towards rental relief to tenants and landlords. Ms. Brown and the governor both reiterated the state’s commitment to distribute the funds with a focus on equity.

Sources:

• https://www.coronavirus.wa.gov/news 
• https://coronavirus.wa.gov/what-you-need-know/roadmap-recovery-metrics
• https://www.governor.wa.gov/