OLYMPIA — The 24th District legislative delegation has pushed back on Gov. Jay Inslee’s COVID-19 reopening plan.
But Senator Kevin Van De Wege says the governor is not budging on relaxing opening for Clallam or Jefferson counties.
Van De Wege and Representatives Steve Tharinger and Mike Chapman, wrote the governor outlining frustration that the north Peninsula will be stuck under the current plan. They called for “fair and sound’ metrics for 24th District communities.
The letter stated: “Gov. Inslee’s recent change to the Roadmap to Recovery has left Clallam and Jefferson counties at a standstill for no good reason. This new plan relies on inconsistent metrics and an overly broad, regional approach for decision-making that does not reward the citizens and businesses in Clallam and Jefferson who have faithfully complied with the governor’s orders.
“This regional approach takes away local input and decisions and ignores local health officer’s science-based knowledge. Transmission and case-rate metrics in Clallam and Jefferson counties prove we have worked well to control the COVID-19 pandemic and have a firm grasp on this situation. However, when grouped with widely dissimilar counties in an arbitrarily drawn region, our success is ignored. “
The lawmakers say they have supported the governor through the pandemic.
“With these latest moves, however, we have lost faith that the governor is on a course to safely open Washington and beat COVID-19. He is reopening hot-spot counties based on poorly designed metrics that leave low-rate counties closed. This plan’s senseless punishment of counties with low COVID-19 rates leaves us no choice but to speak out in opposition. “
The letter came a day after the Governor changed the metrics and allowed Puget Sound counties to reopen in Phase 2, even though case counts are much higher than in Clallam or Jefferson counties.
The lawmakers also wrote: “This is not a position we take lightly. But it is clear that the governor’s plan exhibits a disastrous disconnect with the realities of our communities and, as their elected representatives, we must demand a reopening plan that is fair and sound”.