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Kittitas (pronounced 'KITT-i-tass') County is located in central Washington State. It spans from the lush forested Cascade Mountains to the upper Yakima River Valley plains and the Columbia River.
Kittitas County, WA - 05/06/2020 - The Kittitas County application for a variance to enter Phase 2 of Washington’s Phased Approach to COVID-19 is still under review. We anticipate that the State Secretary of Health John Wiesman will potentially review the application today.
Kittitas County specifically reached out to Secretary Wiesman after our county was assigned another confirmed COVID-19 case from the Washington State Department of Health. Due to the nature of the 15th confirmed case, the positive COVID-19 case will not likely affect our variance application. The 15th confirmed case was an individual who was initially assigned to King County, because of owning two homes. However, the individual spends the majority of their time in Kittitas County, so the information was changed. In addition, the individual’s onset of illness was February of 2020, so was not contracted within Kittitas County during the last 21 days. “We know that people are anxious,” states Health Officer Dr. Mark Larson. “We do have a plan in place and we will not be allowed by the state to move forward if we are not able to protect the health of residents of Kittitas County” More information about the application and corresponding documents are online at https://www.co.kittitas.wa.us/uploads/bocc/resolutions/2020-095-resolution.pdf. Businesses are required to have safety plans and may request technical assistance via https://www.co.kittitas.wa.us/response/202003-covid19/business-safety.aspx and businesses that have questions about whether they can operate during Phase 2 may contact Washington State via https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/2562f1caf5814c46a6bf163762263aa5 Another press release will be sent out, immediately, when the Kittitas County Incident Management Team (IMT) hears a response regarding our variance application. Questions about your health should be directed to your local healthcare provider or you can call the Temporary COVID Clinic at KVH at 509-933-8850. For general COVID-19 questions, the Emergency Operation Center is at 509-933-8315 or 509-933-8305.
Kittitas County, from the Cascades to the Columbia, and online at http://www.co.kittitas.wa.us
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Contact: Kasey Knutson, Public Information Officer, 509-962-7515