DAYTON—On Monday, the county Board of Health accepted a recommendation from the Columbia County Medical Director, Dr. Larry Jecha, to apply for Phase 3 of Governor Jay Inslee’s four-phase coronavirus recovery plan, and the Board of County Commissioners adopted that recommendation.

“I see no reason for you in Columbia County not to go to Phase 3,” said Dr. Jecha at the meeting of the BOCC.

Jecha said he was basing his recommendation on adequate hospital preparedness and no new cases of COVID-9 since last March.

“Fifty people is the magic number,” Public Health Director Martha Lan...