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New metrics will measure whether a county stays in Phase 3 or moves backward. They are more lenient, "not quite as tight of a turn," reflecting the "very different place" the state is now in in terms of its progress against the COVID-19 pandemic, said Lacy Fehrenbach, deputy secretary for the Department of Health's COVID-19 response. "We want to keep going forward together out of the pandemic, and our success hinges upon wearing masks, washing our hands, watching our distance, keeping social circles small - and of course, getting vaccinated when it's our turn. These are the things that will help us suppress COVID-19, which is the key to our continued forward progress towards recovery."