Despite public statements made by Lewis County Commissioner Sean Swope this week, the state-run COVID-19 isolation and quarantine facility operating out of a Centralia motel does not have a contract with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
On Monday, Swope echoed his weeks-long condemnation of the state Department of Health (DOH), which moved its facility to Centralia last month, much to the ire of county and city officials. Swope claimed DOH has “a federal contract” with ICE and lambasted the agency for a “lack of communication.”
DOH does not have a contract, or any formal agreement, with ICE, which operates the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma. The idea is “so far out of the realm of possibility,” said DOH spokesman Cory Portner.
The misunderstanding likely stemmed from an agreement between DOH and the Tacoma-Pierce County Public Health Department. At the request of that local department, the state will offer the facility to individuals released from the detention center by the courts, who are sick or exposed and have no other options to isolate. Like with their other occupants, isolating at the facility is voluntary to these individuals.
“They were not at the detention facility because of criminal activity. After they are released by the court, they are free to travel within the country,” Portner told The Chronicle.
A primary purpose of the facility is to house sick or exposed individuals that don’t fall under one local health jurisdiction. And DOH has similar agreements with other counties as well. For example, travelers who arrive at Sea-Tac airport and test positive for the virus are also offered the opportunity to use the Centralia facility.
So far, the facility has housed one person released from the detention center, Portner said. And as of Monday, only one person in total was isolating at the motel.
According to DOH, most individuals are able to figure out an alternative situation. The state-run facility houses only a small percentage of individuals who need to isolate and may otherwise fall through the cracks.
The false information Monday again prompted indignation, part of weeks-long tension around the facility, which used to be housed at a Thurston County summer camp.
Although DOH officials have apologized for not communicating more before descending into Lewis County, and have said they are looking to find a more permanent facility, Commissioner Gary Stamper on Monday raised doubts.
Even when the governor’s emergency declaration is lifted, he said, “my guess is they’ll probably figure out a way around it” in order to stay in town.
Portner said that while the state is still looking for a different location, there will still be a need for isolation and quarantine after the state’s broad reopening, slated for June 30.
New variants of the virus, as well as pockets of mostly-unvaccinated individuals — like in Lewis County — raise concerns of continued transmission and outbreaks.
When asked about the misinformation, Swope said via email that “unfortunately, the communication with the state, although promised to be improved, continues to be difficult.”
“The Lewis County Health Officer has indicated he does not believe the facility poses an imminent risk to the health of Lewis County residents and the city of Centralia, where the facility is located, has chosen not to take action to address potential issues surrounding the facility,” said Swope, who serves on the local Board of Health.
