SPOKANE, Wash. — As public health leaders discuss the possibility of a regional reopening of Washington state's economy, Spokane County commissioners are asking Gov. Jay Inslee to "immediately reopen" some businesses.
"We strongly believe it is now time to begin our economic recovery. First, we request that you allow a regional approach to reopening Washington's economy," the commissioners wrote in a letter to Gov. Inslee on Wednesday. "Spokane County has not seen the high infection and death rates as some other counties in our state and, therefore, should be allowed to reopen much sooner than counties that have been more heavily impacted."
In early April, Gov. Jay Inslee extended orders to keep non-essential businesses closed and most of the state’s more than 7 million residents home through May 4, saying social distancing measures needed to continue to minimize the spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
Businesses that commissioners are asking the governor to "immediately reopen" include:
- Critical medical appointments and treatments that are not COVID-19-related
- Any retailer with the ability to have door or curbside pick-up, provide online sales, or appointment only options
- Auto and RV sales
- Landscaping
- Mobile home hook-up
- In-home cleaning
"While this is a very limited list, it is an important first step and, hopefully, many more businesses can safely begin serving our community again," the letter reads.
Local leaders push for regional reopening
This comes as local leaders have been pushing for weeks to reopen Spokane County before the rest of Washington.
Spokane Mayor Nadine Woodward recently said in a Twitter thread that she was pushing for a "regional and slow approach" to opening the economy during conversations with Gov. Jay Inslee, emphasizing that "Spokane is drastically different than western Washington."
The Seattle Times reports that Secretary of Health John Wiesman said during a news conference on Tuesday that there have been discussions about reopening regional areas of Washington with fewer coronavirus cases.
“We are exploring what kind of a regionalized approach would look like," he said.
“And I’m sure you’ll be hearing more about that in the days to come, as we make some further decisions about that,” he added.
Wiesman added that state health officials "certainly want to see cases decreasing everywhere."
A spokesperson from Gov. Inslee's office told KREM on Wednesday that no decisions have been made, but the Department of Health and others are "exploring a regional approach."
This comes after state officials were resistant last week to the idea, saying it could cause new surges in coronavirus cases thanks to travel.
On her Facebook page, Woodward responded to state leaders' decision to discuss a regional reopening, writing, "Our push to be flexible in opening up Spokane County’s economy is paying off! The governor is NOW willing to look at regions of the state with fewer COVID-19 cases."
She also urged people to continue social distancing.
City of Spokane spokesperson Brian Coddington provided the following statement on behalf of Woodward regarding the discussions of a regional reopening:
"Discussion is ongoing about what a potential regional reopening might look like. Those conversations are about developing a thoughtful, methodical, and flexible plan, based on guidance from public health experts, to slowly reopen and return to public life. Any plan must be true to the original objective of slowing the spread of illness and come with a capability to pause or temporarily pullback if those needs are not being met."
Spokane County Health Officer Dr. Bob Lutz also addressed the possibility during a media briefing, saying "our data are supportive" of a regional approach.
"I think our numbers are looking good. I feel very reassured by my health care partners that they can withstand a potential increase [in cases]," he said.
Public health leaders would be concerned, however, if they start to see a significant uptick in cases that could overwhelm the healthcare system, Lutz said.
“Spokane Regional Health District supports consideration of a regional plan to re-open that meets requirements set by the Governor’s plan to re-open Washington," the Spokane Regional Health District wrote in a statement. "Through the work being done at the Inland COVID-19 Response Center, we are working collaboratively with other regional agencies to prepare our community for a phased re-opening that would be tailored to the uniqueness of our region and that can be activated when the data-driven criteria set by the Governor are met.”
Inslee announced on Wednesday that the current order of stay-home and stay healthy will remain in effect after May 4.
He said more information will be released on Friday about the phases that the state will reopen.