Inslee: “The more people mask up the sooner we can reopen”

PASCO, Wash.-- Gov. Jay Inslee was in Pasco Tuesday, where he met with local government leaders and health officials about Benton and Franklin Counties' request for variance to move into Phase 2 of reopening.

The Benton Franklin Health District initially submitted requests for variance earlier in June, but the Department of Health has placed the requests on hold as both counties saw a rise in the numbers of positive cases of COVID-19.

Inslee said encouraging everyone in the community to wear masks will help the Department of Health in determining whether to move forward.

"We've not made a definitive answer," Inslee said at a press conference at Columbia Basin College Tuesday following the meetings with community leaders. "What I will tell you is that we will be watching Benton and Franklin for the next several weeks and days, and we're going to be looking to see if more people are wearing masks. And I can tell you that the more people who wear masks the more likely it is and the sooner we can reopen up."

Inslee said that reopening may look more like a Phase 1.5 rather than a Phase 2.

Right now, Benton, Franklin, and Yakima Counties are the only counties that remain full in Phase 1, with non-essential businesses remaining closed for more than three months in an effort to reduce the rate of the spread of COVID-19.

Not everyone agrees with the idea of wearing masks, including about 30 protesters who heckled the governor as he held a press conference outside on the CBC campus. Due to an inability for the media to hear the governor over the wind and the protesters, the press conference was moved inside.

"We got stuck in our homes, we've been putting masks on our face. You wearing that mask and everyone else wearing that mask, you're throwing carbon monoxide right back into your lungs. You're poisoning yourself, along with 5G which has done the same thing to you. With the 5G frequency you can no longer get oxygen into your lungs," said Kennewick resident Judith Bessett, one of the protesters who vocalized her displeasure during the governor's press conference.

Washington Secretary of Health Dr. John Wiesman and and retired Navy Vice Adm. Dr. Raquel Bono, Washington State Director, Pandemic Health Response, also took part in the meetings.

The governor did mention that he and health officials are considering proposals from local civic leaders to allow some small businesses to begin reopening as soon as possible, but no final decisions were made during Tuesday's visit.