OLYMPIA – A Spokane County Superior Court has halted all of its previous coronavirus pandemic orders.
In a Dec. 20 ruling, the court ruled its Emergency Order No. 17 and all previously issued coronavirus emergency mandates in the county were rescinded.
Spokane County Superior Court issued 16 COVID-related emergency orders from Feb. 29, 2020, to October of 2022.
“While I’m glad that the Spokane County Superior Court has rescinded its COVID-19 emergency, frankly I think this move is a little late,” Sen. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, said.
Schoesler represents the 9th Legislative District, which includes Cheney, Medical Lake and other areas of southern Spokane County as well as Whitman, Adams, Lincoln and other Counties.
“The private sector, including stores and restaurants, returned to normal a long time ago,” he said. “It’s been nearly two months since even the governor admitted the emergency was over, which was already obvious to most folks. I think that courts throughout our state, not just Spokane’s, should have done likewise.
“We’ve seen that it is possible to take reasonable, common-sense steps to cope with COVID while allowing important government institutions to function in a normal way.”
Gov. Jay Inslee’s self-declared state of emergency ended Oct. 31, after he lifted his previous orders.
Lucas is a former Cheney Free Press managing editor. He is a nationally published author who contributes regularly to several publications across the country.
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