MOSES LAKE — The office of the governor does not currently have plans to push Grant County back to Phase 1, external relations director Nick Streuli said in an interview Wednesday.

The comments came in response to a Wednesday article in the Herald quoting Moses Lake Mayor David Curnel, who said in a Tuesday city council meeting that the governor’s office had stated that Grant County was at risk of losing its Phase 2 status if it didn’t level off its COVID-19 case rate. On Tuesday, Curnel indicated that the county was given a month to show improvement.

In a joint conference call Wednesday with Curnel and Inslee press secretary Mike Faulk, Streuli said that there was no timeline or threat made that, if the county didn’t level off its rate of new cases, it would be pushed back to Phase 1. After Curnel reiterated that he had been given that timeline, Streuli stated that there had perhaps been a miscommunication, and that he and other officials were suggesting that they would check back in with county officials in a month, not penalize them.

The state’s conversations with local and county officials have been cordial and collaborative, not threatening, Streuli said Wednesday.

“One of the items we’ve openly discussed with these counties is if moving back a phase or partial phase would be helpful,” Faulk wrote in an email before the conference call Wednesday. “In most cases, these counties have said it would not be and instead we’ve focused our efforts on reinforcing messages around masking.”

When pressed, Streuli acknowledged that counties with high rates of coronavirus cases could be pushed back in the state’s four-phase reopening plan, saying that has always been a possibility. However, he rejected claims that any timeline had been set or plans made to do so with Grant County.

County Commissioner Tom Taylor, who another commissioner said had been on the earlier call with Curnel and Streuli, could not be immediately reached for comment to share his recollection of the conversation.

Emry Dinman can be reached via email at edinman@columbiabasinherald.com.