Lewis County officials are following Gov. Jay Inslee's first phase or reopening rather than advancing to the second phase. | Facebook
Lewis County officials are following Gov. Jay Inslee's first phase or reopening rather than advancing to the second phase. | Facebook
Lewis County will not be going into Phase 2 of reopening just yet, according to the Chronicle.
Officials have decided to stick with Gov. Jay Inslee’s first phase for now as Lewis County Public Health and Social Services Director J.P. Anderson and Health Officer Dr. Rachel Wood said they’re not comfortable with the county heading into the second phase.
While counties are allowed to apply for the second phase, Anderson said that Lewis County doesn’t qualify since it has over 75,000 residents, according to the Chronicle.
Anderson also cited Mason County’s attempt to apply as an ineligible county for the reason Lewis County wouldn’t be moving forward so quickly.
He said, “I had been talking with [Director of Community Services for Mason County] Dave Windom and he was going to apply as one of [the groups] that had been counted in the possible six next counties [eligible]. On a call this week, we learned their fate — they were told that the Department of Health would not review that application at this time," according to the Chronicle.
But Anderson said the county might be eligible sooner rather than later.
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