Should rollback decisions be made at the state or local level? May 5, 2021 at 10:21 am
Restaurants continue to require patrons to wear masks, and likely will for the foreseeable future. (Seattle-King County Public Health, Facebook)
On Tuesday, Gov. Jay Inslee made the announcement that he was going to put a pause on the reopening plans and not move any counties in Washington back a phase. But would it be better for these decisions to be made at the local level?
When Inslee was asked about whether or not he would be willing to relinquish some of the decision-making power to local leaders, he indicated that they’ve expressed they would prefer he have the power to shut things down.
Businesses are allowed to remain open at 50% capacity in Phase 3. (MyNorthwest photo)
On Tuesday, Snohomish County Health Officer Dr. Chris Spitters warned county residents that the region is on the brink of rolling back to Phase 2 in May. County Councilmember Nate Nehring spoke to KTTH’s Jason Rantz Show to address why he thinks that may not be the right move for local businesses.
In order to remain in Phase 3, large counties need to have 200 or fewer new cases per 100,000 residents over two weeks, and five or fewer hospitalizations per 100,000 residents over the past week. Snohomish County has now crested one of those thresholds, sitting at 205 new cases per 100,000, and is nearing the hospitalization limit at 4.6 per 100,000.