Othello approves reopening plan

OTHELLO — The Othello City Council on Monday unanimously approved an ambitious reopening plan that aims to reopen the city far more quickly than Gov. Jay Inslee outlined last week and would still require his approval.

“It’s dramatically different from the governor’s plan,” said Chris Dorrow, a dentist and head of the city’s planning commission, who was charged with leading the committee that crafted the plan. “You couldn’t do this statewide, but it makes sense for Othello.”

The three-phase “back to work” plan, which was created with the assistance of the Othello Chamber of Commerce and the Columbia Basin Hospital Association, would allow restaurants, beauty salons and barber shops, gyms, retail establishments, churches and entertainment venues like movie theaters to reopen immediately so long as social distance is maintained, and employees and servers wear personal protective gear.

In Phase 1, businesses will be restricted to 50 percent of capacity, self service will not be allowed, and strict sanitation of tables and work stations in between customers will be required, according to the plan.

Assuming a month of “stable or declining” positive COVID-19 cases, the plan’s second phase kicks in, which will allow larger group sizes at tables in restaurants and increase allowed business capacity to 75 percent while keeping the strict PPE and sanitation guidelines in place.

The plan’s third phase lifts all restrictions, and allows for the opening of bars too. If all goes well, Dorrow said Othello could completely reopen by early July.

“This could work for Adams County but not for a larger community,” he said. “This allows for intensive management and to open with quicker oversight.”

Dorrow said the county health department could easily “change the phasing” and shut everything down again if the number of cases increases in Adams County.

As of Monday, there were 48 reported positive COVID-19 cases in Adams County, with 45 of those having recovered, according to the Adams County Health Department.

While there was some concern from some council members that the month-long phases were too long, Dorrow said federal guidelines demand a minimum of 14 days — the incubation period of the COVID-19 virus — to wait and see if restrictions on activities can be lifted.

The Othello City Council also unanimously endorsed a letter from the Adams County Commission to the governor, asking Inslee to allow businesses to open more quickly in Adams County — something that would need to be approved if the city’s plan were to be implemented.

While he wanted to get the city back to business as quickly as possible, Mayor Shawn Logan cautioned council members that there would be consequences if the city embarked on its own course without approval from the governor’s office.

Logan noted that in Inslee’s original order closing “non-essential” businesses, the governor allowed “essential” businesses to remain open so long as they followed safety guidelines.

“Other businesses could implement those,” he said. “We’re in a fight for our way of life right now.”

Charles H. Featherstone can be reached at [email protected].