Spokane Senator Andy Billig, a Democrat who represents Washington's 3rd Legislative District, said Governor Jay Inslee will announce an easing of requirements to move into the next phase of reopening. The announcement, which Billig said is happening on Thursday, will "adjust the metrics" and allow for "some additional flexibility." Spokane County has been in Phase 1 since Inslee announced his new "Healthy Washington" plan on Jan. 5, 2021. Read more.
A mass COVID-19 vaccination clinic at the Spokane Arena will open for its second day of operations on Thursday morning following a rocky start. All 3,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine available during the first week of operation were claimed less than two hours after the launch of an online scheduling tool, which almost immediately crashed due to an overwhelming amount of users. The mass vaccination site also led to traffic backups near the Spokane Arena and some people waited in line for more than one hour ahead of their scheduled appointment. Read more.
Washington health leaders are cracking down on people who are trying to cross state lines for COVID-19 vaccines. The state Department of Health announced on Wednesday that those seeking a COVID-19 vaccine at any of the state's four mass vaccination sites, including the one in Spokane, must live or work in Washington. Kelley Charvet, a spokesperson for CHAS Health, also said that "people need to get vaccinated in the state where they live and work." Read more.