The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

Governor Jay Inslee and Secretary of Health John Wiesman announced on Saturday, June 27 that the Washington State Department of Health is putting a pause on counties moving to Phase 4 of the Safe Start recovery plan.

Eight counties were eligible to move from Phase 3 to Phase 4 before the pause.

“Phase 4 would mean a return to normal activity and we can’t do that now due to the continued rise in cases across the state,” Inslee said. “We all want to get back to doing all the things we love in Washington during the summer, and fully open our economy, but we aren’t there yet. This is an evolving s...