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Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Counties and sheriffs statewide force governor to back off quarantine restrictions
OLYMPIA – Under increasing pressure from counties, Gov. Jay Inslee on Friday said he would allow low-risk construction to resume immediately.
The caveats — each contractor must have personal protective gear for employees, provide coronavirus training for workers, require workers would remain at least six feet apart and maintain an on-site supervisor to enforce compliance.
According to Inslee, the decision to “reopen” construction followed an agreement reached between leaders in government, the construction industry and health care workers.
“We found a way to allow low-risk construction to resume,” he said during a Friday morning press conference.
But the reopening wasn’t that straight forward.
In many rural areas, local construction never stopped despite the governor’s previously ordered coronavirus-related quarantine. And multiple counties and their sheriffs had announced they would not enforce the quarantine order.
Two weeks ago, Douglas County led the way with a resolution allowing already permitted projects to be built. Later that week, Chelan County followed suit.
At the behest of Gov. Inslee, Governor’s Office General Counsel Kathryn Leathers wrote a letter to those counties suggesting they didn’t understand the quarantine order.
Then in Franklin County, Sheriff Jim D. Raymond on Monday said he would not enforce a quarantine order stopping people from working or going to church.
Franklin County commissioners agreed unanimously in a resolution Tuesday, although two commissioners — Brad Peck and Chairman Robert “Bob” Koch — changed their minds a day later, after Leathers wrote a letter ordering them to comply.
Commissioner Clint Didier maintains his position that the county is open. He is in the process of filing a lawsuit in federal court that questions Gov. Inslee’s authority to suspend inalienable rights guaranteed under the U.S. constitution.
Cowlitz County, too, penned a letter to the governor calling for home construction to resume.
Several cities around the state, too, issued similar statements, some even telling employees not to interfere with permitted construction despite the governor’s order.
In addition to Sheriff Raymond, several other lead lawmen have said they won’t enforce the “unconstitutional” stay-home quarantine.
“Our governor has overstepped his constitutional powers and is trying to control us under the guise of protecting us,” Raymond wrote, calling on the Legislature to do its part as a co-equal branch of government and to be the check-and-balance required under our system of government.
Snohomish County Sheriff Adam Fortney said his job is to uphold the constitution, not the governor’s edict.
Snohomish is the third most populous county in the state.
And Benton County Sheriff Jerry Hatcher said the decision on whether something is open or closed should be made at the local level.
Benton and Franklin counties are among the most-populous east of the Cascades.
Inslee bristles at the thought of the county’s top law enforcement officers refusing to support him and order residents to comply.
"Law enforcement officers, who I have huge respect for, who thousands of them today are not going off half-cocked saying they're not going to enforce the law. They're enforcing the law," Inslee said during a Wednesday press conference. "There are just two of them that I know of that want to make a political statement. For whatever talent they have, they just are not given that right in our democracy to make a decision about the Constitution."
Inslee insisted Friday that his allowing the reopening of low-risk construction is in line with his plan and what state residents want.
During his press conference, he repeated said an “overwhelming number of voters” support his effort.
“Sixty-one percent are concerned about lifting restrictions too soon,” he said, without citing any source.
You couldn’t tell that around the state as more and more protests pop up.
A protest against Gov. Inslee’s fishing ban last Saturday drew more than 100 boats and 300 people to Richland. A follow-0up protest there Sunday on reopening business drew an additional 500 people.
A protest last Sunday drew more than 2,500 people the state Capitol last Sunday, the Washington State Patrol reported.
And two protests in Spokane on Wednesday attracted hundreds more.
Statewide, there are anti-fishing ban protests going on today, which should have been the season-opener for lowland lakes.
The season-opening weekend is usually one of the largest camping and tourism weekends for many rural counties statewide.
During Friday’s press conference, Gov. Inslee hinted that he might be willing to allow outdoor recreation to resume in the coming days. He also hinted he might allow hospitals to start resuming more-normal operations.
Meanwhile, residents continue to protest the fishing ban and rural hospitals are on the verge of failure.
Most rural hospitals have few or no coronavirus cases. And with the governor’s quarantine order in place, they are not allowed to provide non-emergency services or surgeries.
That has led many to the brink of financial ruin.
In Ritzville, East Adams Regional Healthcare officials estimate they are losing about $400,000 per month in revenue. There have been only four confirmed coronavirus cases in the Ritzville-Lind area.
In Colfax, Whitman County Memorial Hospital has laid off staff – including nurses and doctors – because there are no coronavirus cases and few other medical services are allowed.
Even the hospital in Pullman, usually a bustling medical center because of its proximity to Washington State University, has slashed employee hours and wages just to keep their doors open.
Sen. Mark Schoesler, the Republican Senate minority leader from Ritzville, has called for local hospitals to make the decisions on what services they should be offering.
Schoesler, who so-far has signed letters of support for Gov. Inslee’s quarantine measures through May 4, said the professionals at medical centers are more appropriately situated to make a determination about what’s right for the community they serve.
As Senate minority leader, in the absence of the legislature, he has to give his permission for the governor to extend emergency orders for more than 30 days if they conflict with constitutional rights.
Three other lawmakers have to agree as well. They are minority leader Rep. J.T. Wilcox, R-Yelm, and majority leader Laurie Jinkins, D-Tacoma, both in the House; and Senate majority leader Sen. Andy Billig, D-Spokane.
Schoesler said, for his part, he’s not likely to approve any extensions beyond May 4 for “low-hanging” fruit, such as reopening health care services, outdoor recreation or allowing church services.
Without the support of all four legislators, the governor would have to order a special session to gain approval for his continued quarantine.
The “four corners” of Schoesler, Wilcox, Billig and Jinkins can only serve as a temporary stop-gap approval until such time as the Legislature convenes and passes a concurrent resolution favoring the quarantine.
In Friday’s press conference, however, Gov. Inslee appeared prepared to press forward with quarantine orders despite the rising opposition.
“We know that it has to continue to avoid a dire fate,” he said. “Much work has to be done to control this virus.”
While other states have already started reopening segments or all of their economies, Inslee is rejecting the idea.
“The day of reopening our whole economy certainly is not today,” he said. “It would be way too dangerous.”
Roger Harnack is the co-owner/publisher of Free Press Publishing. Having grown up Benton City, Roger is an award-winning journalist, photographer, editor and publisher. He's one of only two editorial/commentary writers from Washington state to ever receive the international Golden Quill. Roger is dedicated to the preservation of local media, and the voice it retains for Eastern Washington.
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