South Central Region left out in the cold
By Terry Murry on Friday, February 12th, 2021 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
OLYMPIA – Gov. Jay Inslee has placed most of Washington state into Phase 2 of his Healthy Washington reopening plan. The only region still in Phase 1 is the South Central Region, which includes Walla Walla, the Tri-Cities, and Yakima.
Regions must meet three out of four metrics to move to or remain in Phase 2. They are a trend in the 14-day rate of new COVID-19 cases per 100,000, the trend in the 14-day rate of new COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100,000, the average seven-day occupancy of ICU-staffed beds, and the 7-day percent positive rate for COVID-19 tests.
State Sen. Perry Dozier (R-Waitsburg) said he will be checking those metrics carefully to see why the South Central Region was not included in the mass move to Phase 2.
“People throughout my district are frustrated and angry that these restrictions remain in place,” Dozier said. “These restrictions have driven many small businesses to the point that many are forced to decide whether they will close their doors for good. We’re going to take a close look at the metrics the governor is using to see if the disparate treatment for southeast Washington makes sense.”
Dozier said that Republican lawmakers have been pushing to have the Washington Legislature take control of reopening, but the majority Democrats wish to leave all decisions to the governor.
