Bellingham, WA – Data released today by the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) enables the North Region, which includes Whatcom County, to move to Phase 2 of the Healthy Washington – Roadmap to Recovery Reopening Plan, effective Monday, Feb. 15.
“This is good news for our community. We’re happy to see that Whatcom is trending in the right direction, and that trend has contributed to our region moving forward,” said Erika Lautenbach, director of the Whatcom County Health Department. “This creates more opportunities for our local businesses to open and rebuild and more options for our community to support our local businesses.”
Businesses and individuals may engage in more activities during Phase 2, but there are still some restrictions. Activities permitted during Phase 2 include indoor social gatherings with 5 or fewer people and outdoor gatherings with 15 or fewer people, both limited to two households. Indoor dining is now permitted with 25% maximum occupancy, and fitness centers may resume appointment-free indoor operations, also with 25% maximum occupancy. Restrictions for worship services, retail stores, professional and personal services remain unchanged.
Restrictions may be further loosened in the future if current trends continue their downward trajectory. The next Roadmap to Recovery update will be released on Feb. 26.
“We’re here because we’ve done the hard work,” said Lautenbach. “We can’t let up, though. Let’s keep up our habits of mask wearing, hand washing and physical distancing to continue our forward progress.”
This information is also available as a pdf.