Grant County commissioners looking for Phase 2 explanations

EPHRATA — Even with a change in the criteria, Grant County still doesn’t qualify for the second phase of the reopening plan announced by Gov. Jay Inslee. It’s a circumstance that Grant County commissioners find hard to understand.

“Maddening, is what it is,” said commission chair Cindy Carter.

Revisions to the plan were announced May 19.

Adams County now qualifies to apply for the waiver under the new guidelines; Grant County does not. Spokane and Clark counties also qualified.

Adams County officials posted their reaction to the announcement on the county’s social media. “County officials, department heads and staff are already in the process of assembling the required application package to make a formal request for a variance allowing for implementation of Phase 2,” the announcement said.

Adams County commissioners are expected to approve an application package Wednesday.

Inslee ordered restrictions on movement and business March 23 in an effort to combat the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus. He announced a four-phase reopening plan May 1, with the tentative goal of allowing all counties to move to the second phase by June 1.

Counties could apply for a waiver to speed up their transition. Revisions announced Tuesday allowed counties to apply if they had fewer than 10 new cases per 100,000 residents over a two-week period.

Grant County fell just short of meeting the criteria, with a population of about 99,000 and 10 cases in the past two weeks.

“How do we move forward? We don’t know,” Carter said.

Grant County officials have asked about reopening, sending multiple letters to Inslee’s office urging state officials to allow counties more freedom of action. One was signed by Grant County commissioners only, and a second was signed by commissioners from 19 counties, including Grant.

Representatives from Inslee’s office said May 12 that he was working on a reply, but none had been received as of May 19.