OLYMPIA, WA — Gov. Jay Inslee stood behind his stay-at-home order Wednesday following recent protests and vocal opposition from leaders in some Washington counties.
“Our office will not be guided by irrational forces that would really gamble with our health,” Inslee said. “If we placed that bet and lost, we would be giving up the hard-won gains that we have already made because of the dedication of Washingtonians to this order.”
Franklin County Sheriff J.D. Raymond sent a letter to residents Monday saying he believed the governor’s order went further than necessary to slow the virus’s spread. According to the Associated Press, the county’s board of commissioners voted Tuesday to allow all businesses to reopen.
Inslee’s office sent a letter to the county administrator Wednesday saying the board’s action “intentionally and knowingly” violated the statewide order, and he directed the county to rescind the legislation.
According to state data, lab tests have confirmed 212 COVID-19 cases in Franklin County, and four people have died. Among the 815 people tested, 26 percent have been diagnosed with the disease.
The governor also addressed comments posted on social media Tuesday night by Snohomish County Sheriff Adam Fortney. The sheriff of Washington’s third-largest county said he would not enforce the governor’s order and believed the restrictions were unconstitutional.
“We cannot have individual law enforcement officers arbitrarily decide which laws they are going to enforce and which laws they are not going to enforce,” Inslee said. “If people have disagreements with the law, that will be decided by the courts.”
Inslee said the sheriff’s comments were at odds with the county’s prosecuting attorney, Adam Cornell, and guidance from the Snohomish Health District.
“We are elected to serve under laws, not to act above them,” Cornell wrote in a statement Wednesday. “An earnest desire to change the law is much different than refusing to enforce it.”
The governor said his emergency actions have been fully within the law.
“No court anywhere in this state or federally has said in any way that this order contravenes the Constitution or any other law that is pertinent to our state,” Inslee said. “I do think encouraging illegal activity jeopardizes the health of people in our communities. It also puts them in potential legal jeopardy.”
Inslee and Attorney General Bob Ferguson issued a joint statement on the order’s legality Wednesday, and the Washington State Sheriffs’ Association pledged to continue working to assist social distancing measures across Washington.
Rep. J.T. Wilcox, the Republican minority leader in the state House of Representatives, called for more transparency and warned that some constituents were losing patience with the strict emergency orders.
“The rejection of his authority started in small towns and rural counties,” Wilcox wrote on Facebook. “It is rapidly increasing in the Puget Sound area and all but the largest cities.”
Inslee said Wednesday he had seen no evidence of widespread noncompliance and noted only one law enforcement action had been taken since the restrictions began, referencing a lawsuit filed against a Tacoma apartment owner over evictions.
“I think it’s really important to realize that there has been huge compliance to this effort, really across the state of Washington,” he said. “I’m trying to think of another time when Washingtonians have been so committed to their joint welfare.”
While legal action is the last resort for enforcement under the governor’s order, Inslee said those steps can be taken when necessary.
“It’s our goal to have voluntary compliance in every single case,” he said.
In a news conference Tuesday, the governor previewed steps that will be taken to lift restrictions in phases, allowing more Washingtonians to return to work and a more-normal life. Before those his orders can be relaxed, Inslee said, Washington will need a large increase in test kits and a rapid response team to isolate those with symptoms and perform immediate contact tracing.
The governor’s office expects new modeling to be available Thursday, which could allow the state to move quickly in altering some restrictions, restoring elective surgeries and allowing construction projects and some outdoor recreation.
Inslee said he was hopeful an order of 1 million testing swabs would arrive soon, which would allow the state to meet its capacity in the short term, and process between 20,000 and 30,000 samples per day. The governor renewed his call for the federal government to manufacture more kits and provide a stable source of testing supplies in the months ahead.
According to Inslee, a 1,500-member contact tracing team should be ready to deploy by the second week in May. His “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order is scheduled to be in place through May 4.
The governor has said many restrictions are likely to continue beyond that date, until Washington’s testing and tracing system is ready and the state passes a two-week threshold with clear declines in new infections.
“We want Washingtonians to continue taking care of themselves and their neighbors,” he said. “Look, this has been working. This is saving lives. There are people alive today because of the work we’ve done jointly in the state of Washington.”
Watch the full Wednesday press conference here:
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