Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
On Tuesday, Whitman County commissioners agreed to send to a letter to Gov. Jay Inslee calling on him to rescind the newest of his phased-in, coronavirus reopening plans. We strongly support the move.
Our commissioners are joining leaders in Franklin and Yakima counties who, too, are pushing for the “Healthy Washington-Roadmap to Recovery” to be abandoned. Like Inslee’s other phased-in reopening schemes, this plan offers another false carrot, but a very real stick — especially in rural areas.
This new plan essentially replaces local health districts with regional authorities managed by folks Inslee would seek to appoint.
What’s more, the governor’s newest phased-in concoction lumps rural counties with few coronavirus cases with major cities, where spread is more common and hospitals are typically busy, even without a pandemic. In our case, Whitman County is lumped in with seven other counties, all dominated by Spokane’s caseload.
Simply put, the governor’s phased-in schemes have failed heretofore in rural areas of the state. This one is no different.
Shutdown and quarantine decisions are best made at the local level. One size simply doesn’t fit all, especially in a state as vastly diverse as ours.
Most of Whitman County is ready and capable to return to normalcy. Our kids are returning to school campuses. School sports teams are eager to resume Feb. 1. And our businesses are slowly reopening in defiance of gubernatorial mandates.
“Healthy Washington” only serves to hold us hostage longer than necessary.
Our commissioners should be commended for standing up to the governor. It’s time for Whitman County to reopen without any more carrot-and-stick schemes from Olympia.
— Our View is the combined opinion of the Free Press Publishing editorial board.
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 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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