Just five days before all Washington adults will become eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, counties across the state risk falling back to Phase 2 of Gov. Jay Inslee's reopening plan, but business groups and chambers of commerce say proceeding with the Monday evaluation would be detrimental to progress in defeating the virus.
In a letter to Inslee Saturday, more than 60 organizations urged the governor to postpone the county-by-county COVID-19 assessment for three weeks to May 3. Given steady increases in vaccinations, they said, a rollback to Phase 2 "would punish struggling businesses for personal behavior while doing little to stop the spread of COVID."
The move comes a day after Tacoma mayor Victoria Woodards joined Pierce County leaders — including county executive Bruce Dammeier, Economic Development Board president Bruce Kendall, and chamber president Tom Pierson — in requesting a similar stay on the upcoming evaluation due to an apparent technical snafu with vaccine supply.
Health officials for the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department did not sign that letter.
The Saturday letter was signed by groups representing industries heavily impacted by capacity and other coronavirus restrictions, including restaurants, fitness and tourism. The state trucking, banking, farming and food associations also agreed.
Chambers of commerce on board with the pause run across the state, from Spokane to Blaine, Federal Way to Shelton-Mason.
Anthony Anton, president of the Washington Hospitality Association, said the diverse coalition shows a desire for unity so that everyone can move forward together.
"Rather than talking about how to get everybody vaccinated, we're talking about the impact of this rollback in our communities," Anton told McClatchy in a phone call Saturday morning.
The letter happened rather organically, he said: "We all had a similar opinion, so let's ask the governor to move forward."
It highlights that all Washington adults will be eligible for the vaccine April 15, and encourages a united front on ensuring counties receive proper allocations and on educating the public.
On the other hand, it says, "A Phase 2 rollback will not work to contain the virus," as people have grown weary of restrictions and will continue to gather in other settings, perhaps even traveling across county lines.
Tom Pierson of the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber told McClatchy that the restrictions Phase 2 entails — at restaurants, for instance, 50 percent capacity versus 25 and an earlier cutoff time for alcohol service — "isn't the cure to get us back in line."
A rollback would only penalize businesses trying to follow the rules, employees who might have just been rehired, and a populace tired of pandemic restrictions. Meanwhile, he said, vaccine distribution has been flawed, but the April 15 open eligibility for adults should be the focal point.
Gov. Inslee on Thursday adjusted the metrics to decrease the likelihood of falling backwards in the Roadmap to Recovery. Previously, the plan rolled back a county for failing one metric, such as hospitalization or case rates. Now it would have to fail two.
