Walla Walla County's application for modified Phase 3 on hold

WALLA WALLA—Walla Walla County’s application to move into a modified Phase 3 of the Safe Start Washington plan has been put on hold.

Washington State Secretary of Health John Wiesman placed Walla Walla County’s application for a modified Phase 3 on pause Tuesday, June 30. Wiesman has requested the County monitor virus activity for an additional week.

Walla Walla County Commissioners and the Department of Community Health submitted the application for a modified Phase 3 of the state’s Safe Start plan on June 19.

Since that date, thirty-seven additional County residents have tested positive for COVID-19.

The County also failed to meet the testing metric for the Safe Start program, with 16.9 individuals tested for each new case, well below the requirement to test more than 50 individuals for each positive case.

The DCH urges businesses to comply with all Phase 2 health and safety requirements outlined in the guidance to reopen. Community members are encouraged to understand the guidelines as well. To find out more about reopening goals and the current situation statewide, visit coronavirus.wa.gov.