People are losing faith with Inslee’s stay-home rule. He must get it back | Editorial

Gov. Jay Inslee is losing his grip on his “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order.

In March, most Washington residents readily complied with Inslee’s plan to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

But now, after five weeks of a statewide economic shutdown, too many people are desperate to go back to work.

Too many businesses are about to go under, and too many people are questioning why some jobs and activities have been allowed to continue, while other, similar jobs and pastimes have been banned.

If Inslee wants Washington residents to continue to follow his stay-home strategy, then he must set a more specific path forward that people in all parts of Washington state will embrace.

Many are beginning to lose patience with Inslee’s vague, one-size-fits-all directives. Vocal protests are a concern — such as those held last weekend in Richland — but the greater threat is quiet resistance.

It would help greatly if Inslee would immediately address the discrepancies with the current list of restricted activities.

For example, sitting on a boat is allowed, but fishing off the side of it is not.

Swarms of people can shop at grocery stores, but businesses that would only serve a handful of customers at a time — and could also easily implement social distancing measures — must remain closed.

Boeing can bring 27,000 employees back to work, while other, smaller manufacturing plants are still shut down.

On Friday, Inslee announced that low-risk construction work could resume, which is a welcome step. The public had been struggling to understand why residential construction was banned when the renovation of KeyArena was allowed to continue.

Still, it is these kinds of disparities that have fueled contempt for Inslee’s efforts to battle the coronavirus outbreak, and if he does not fix all the inconsistencies, people will decide for themselves which restrictions to follow.

And in some places, they might get away with it easily.

Franklin County Sheriff Jim Raymond and Snohomish County Sheriff Adam Fortney both recently announced that they would not enforce orders against churches and small businesses as long as people are adhering to social distancing guidelines.

Raymond said In his Facebook post, that the governor — in his effort to protect the public from the pandemic — is simultaneously creating an economic crisis.

Inslee’s “only plan is to keep us in limbo by stating that he will probably have to extend the order,” Raymond wrote.

Franklin County commissioners, under immense pressure from constituents, voted to reopen the county last week, but then rescinded the decision after the governor’s office told them they had no legal authority to go against the state mandate.

We criticized the commissioners for endangering the lives of Tri-Citians, and for not properly vetting the issue. They were wrong to defy the governor’s order.

But we understand the urgent pleas by county residents that led the commissioners to try and reopen the county.

Inslee would be wise to listen to that distress as well, and do something about it.

Nearly 14% of Tri-City jobs have disappeared since coronavirus restrictions started, and claims for unemployment are surging.

The governor’s assurances that the stay-at-home order is working — and that science will guide the process — are of little comfort to someone who has been laid off and now can’t pay the bills.

House Republican Leader J.T. Wilcox, R-Yelm, told the Associated Press the virus is serious, but warned public patience is hitting a tipping point if the governor does not lift some restrictions very soon.

According to the AP, Wilcox said of Inslee, “I’m not arguing that we should be less safe. I’m arguing the fact that he’s losing legitimacy.”

U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Sunnyside, said that people are losing confidence with Inslee’s stay-home order, and that “Washingtonians don’t need broad philosophies or vague ideas right now — we need a concrete plan.”

In advance of the May 4 targeted end date for his stay-home directive, Inlsee said this week that the state’s economic recovery will be phased in over time, and that it is likely current restrictions will have to be continued to fight COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronoavirus.

That’s not all people need to hear right now.

Inslee must launch a recovery plan that includes fairness, substance and precision, as well as provide encouragement to business owners who fear they will have to close permanently.

Too many Washington residents are on the edge. Inslee must regain their confidence and pull them back to hope.

This story was originally published April 24, 2020 at 12:30 PM.