Officials react to new quarantine

COLFAX — Whitman County commissioners reacted last week to Gov. Jay Inslee’s new statewide quarantine orders closing bars and restaurants again to inside service, among other items.

“I’m just highly disappointed,” Commissioner Dean Kinzer said during a Nov. 16 meeting.

“How much blood is left in the turnip to squeeze,” Commission Chairman Michael Largent said.

The commissioners are among many Eastern Washington officials upset by the governor’s interruption of business just before Thanksgiving.

In adjacent Franklin County, Commissioner Clint Didier has been trying to get communities and businesses to open for months regardless of the orders.

He’s called for Eastern Washington leaders to stand together against the governor.

“People are losing everything they worked for,” Didier said.

While the governor promised to allocate $50 million to help ailing businesses, Kinzer said it isn’t enough.

“A pittance,” he said. “It ends up being an empty token, when we’re talking about thousands of businesses that are going (to fail) because of this. I’m just highly disappointed in what’s happened.”

Largent gave the governor a little cover, noting “he has some very difficult decisions.

“The exponential growth (in cases) is certainly a cause for concern. Other than that, I grieve for our small businesses.”

But Whitman County’s acting Health Department director believes Inslee’s shutdown orders are necessary.

“I think he didn’t have much of a choice, given the infection rates statewide,” Interim Health Director Chris Skidmore said. “And the strain on healthcare systems supporting those areas.”

The new quarantine order issued by Gov. Inslee expires on Dec. 14, the day the federal Electoral College meets to select the president-elect of the U.S.

Interestingly, Gov. Inslee’s orders came nearly simultaneously with similar orders issued by Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmore and other Democrats.

And those orders come on the heals of presidential challenger Joe Biden’s possible support for a national shutdown and mask ban.

Biden is currently leading President Donald J. Trump in the unofficial ballot and presumed electoral counts to lead the nation.

Trump has been a strong opponent of a national shutdown and has firm in his belief residents should choose for themselves if they want to wear a mask.

Of the 20 counties in Eastern Washington, only Whitman County voters backed Biden. The remaining 19 counties east of the Cascades overwhelmingly backed Trump.