Washington Governor Jay Inslee’s Roadmap for Recovery has drawn rebuke from some Republicans, Democrats and local public health districts from both sides of the state.
Leaders at the Tri-County Health District, which covers Stevens, Ferry and Pend Oreille Counties, have written a letter to the governor asking him to reconsider some portions of the re-opening plan. Whatcam County and Washington State Association of Counties have also contacted the state to share their concerns.
The plan divides the state into eight regions, the geographically smallest of which is located in Western Washington and has two counties. The largest is in Eastern Washington and has nine counties, which includes Spokane. A region cannot move forward in the re-opening process unless several criteria are met, including a flat or declining hospitalization rate and a flat or declining rate of new cases.
Matt Schanz, the administrator of the Tri-County Health District, said the state is right to look at how many people are hospitalized as a region, but said counties that are geographically distant from one another shouldn’t be lumped together.
“By and large people spend the vast majority of their time in their county of residence," Schanz said. "If you’re case numbers are down in your county, allow the county to move forward.”
The plan has also drawn criticism from both Republican and Democratic legislators, including three Olympic Peninsula Democrats.
Jacquelin Maycumber, who represents most of Northeast Washington in the state legislature, said the governor should have listened to local health officials before implementing the plan.
“I think we really should look at the experts in the local community," Maycumber said. "Not making decisions without their input. With that understanding that one neighborhood in Spokane shouldn’t affect the whole of Eastern Washington.”
Mary Dye, who represents Whitman County and a portion of Spokane and Adams counties in the state legislature, said regions in the governor’s plan are far too large to be practical.
“So when you look at that regionalization plan, it doesn’t account for the incredible amount of diversity in that amount of geography in the state," Dye said.
Mary Kuney, a Spokane County Commissioner and chair of the Spokane County Health Board, said they have not yet had a chance to discuss their concerns, but she did sign onto the Washington State Associations of Counties statement. She said she supports the regionalization of hospital beds, but said she had concerns about the other categories.
Inslee addressed the criticism in a press conference Thursday, saying the regions and criteria were based on how different parts of the state were faring against the coronavirus.
“I think this is fair as humans can design," Inslee said. "I know there’s criticism of them from many parts of the compass, but if we’re going to save lives some of this is simply necessary.”
Inslee says the state is trying to improve its process, but he is not making changes to his Road Map to Recovery at this time.