Edwards wants Thurston to apply to reopen faster, even though it doesn’t meet criteria
Thurston Commissioner Gary Edwards on Tuesday advocated for the county to apply for a variance to begin reopening the economy here more quickly than other counties. A fundamental issue with that request: Thurston doesn’t meet the state’s current criteria to apply for such a variance.
On Monday, Gov. Jay Inslee extended to May 31 the statewide stay-at-home order aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19 and outlined a four-phase approach to reopening Washington’s economy. The state is currently in Phase 1.
Phase 1 allows for landscaping, curbside retail pick-up, car washes, and other low-risk businesses to open once the state publishes industry-specific guidance, while Phase 2 includes opening services such as barbers, salons, and restaurants at lower-than-normal capacity.
The second phase also allows individuals to gather with four or fewer people from outside their household per week.
Under the governor’s plan, counties with populations of fewer than 75,000 people where there haven’t been any residents identified with COVID-19 for the past three weeks can apply for a variance to move to Phase 2 sooner than the rest of the state.
The governor’s office named 10 counties that meet the criteria: Grays Harbor, Columbia, Garfield, Lincoln, Pend Oreille, Skamania, Wahkiakum, Kittitas, and Ferry.
To apply for a variance from the governor’s order, those counties have to follow a multi-step process that starts with the local public health officer signing a recommendation and submitting it to the local board of health.
Thurston County is far from making the list, with a population estimate of 285,000. And while the county’s number of new cases of COVID-19 per day is flattening, the local public health department announced 12 new cases last week, eight the week before last, and 12 the week before that.
Still, Edwards said he believes Thurston could move to Phase 2, considering the county’s numbers.
Thurston has reported just one death due to complications related to the disease, public health reports one resident is currently hospitalized, and 107 out of 114 residents with diagnoses were considered “recovered” as of Tuesday afternoon.
Edwards suggested that, even though Thurston doesn’t meet the basic requirements, submitting a request for a variance might put the county at “the head of the line” later on.
“I don’t know why that artificial barrier was put in place by the governor,” Edwards said. “I’m sure he’s taking into consideration all the information he’s getting from his professional health folks, and, with all respect to Dr. Yu, I agree she’s doing a great job with keeping us advised. But, the reality is, we don’t want to end up in a situation where the cure is going to kill us in the long run.”
Dr. Diana Yu, interim health officer for Thurston County, said Thurston hasn’t yet met the readiness criteria communities are expected to meet before they move forward through phases.
One gap she mentioned is testing capacity. In the last week, about 900 tests were done in Thurston County, Yu said, and counties this size are expected to have the capacity to do at least 500 tests per day.
While the county has the capacity to perform more tests than it’s currently performing, she wasn’t sure capacity would yet meet that expectation. Testing has been mostly limited to people who have symptoms, she said.
Another criteria relates to hospital readiness. Local hospitals currently have available intensive care unit capacity, Yu said, but as more surgeries start happening, availability of beds and ventilators could change and public health will need to track that.
“I agree we are doing well,” Yu said. “There’s some things that we can do better.”
Edwards contended that multiple local suicides have been connected to COVID-19, and that the board is obligated to balance the health of the community and individuals’ economic welfare.
“I know your heart is in the right place, doctor, and I respect that,” Edwards said. “It’s just that we are in a situation where we have to come up with a balance.”
The other two commissioners were not in favor of requesting a variance. Commissioner John Hutchings, who serves as chair of the board, said COVID-19 is still a significant health risk and that without more testing, “we don’t know what we don’t know.”
“Gary, you’re right, she does have a big heart,” Hutchings said, referring to Yu. “However, she’s not Dr. Phil, and she’s a medical doctor and a researcher and a health officer, and knows exactly what she’s saying, and I don’t think she’s making her recommendations to scare people. And I don’t think the governor is making rules and regulations to scare people.”
The governor’s guidance includes that, within two weeks, he and the state Department of Health will consider adding criteria that might allow for other counties to apply for a variance. Commissioner Tye Menser pointed out that language.
Thurston County is on the right path, Menser said, and there will be further guidance to carefully consider.
“Right now, there’s no reason to apply for something we don’t qualify for,” Menser said.
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