125009272_web1_125009272-05ead5299e934a9d9711a73b965d3c6d

Safety protocols include Fox calling Sunday’s NASCAR race from studio

Missouri moving ahead with execution plans

Luzerne County Council did two things on Tuesday: They made the right call in deciding to work with Gov. Tom Wolf in trying to get the county re-opened sooner than the state has announced, and they showed why the newer council system is superior to the old three-commissioner form.
				The latter was starkly demonstrated by comparing our 11-member council to the actions of Schuylkill County&rsquo;s old school three-commissioner government. There, the commissioners announced on May 9 they would ignore Wolf&rsquo;s restrictions and move their county to the less restrictive &ldquo;yellow phase&rdquo; of re-opening plan despite being deemed in the red phase. Commissioners backed off that ill-conceived plan Wednesday.
				Our council system has many flaws, but it is, by the nature of numbers, harder to make a poor decision with 11 voices seeking consensus than it is with three.
				Staff writer Jennifer Learn-Andes painted the picture of a lengthy meeting with different opinions and experiences from each council member who spoke. Yes, small business owners and employees of even large businesses are suffering under the state-ordered shutdown. Yes, the county has made substantial progress in slowing the growth of new infections after becoming one of the state&rsquo;s COVID-19 hotspots.
				Yes the closure rules are unequal and even unfair. Yes it does feel like the state keeps moving the goal posts &mdash; though with a new virus that keeps surprising even the best experts, that can be justified. Yes, re-opening too soon almost certainly would impact our most vulnerable residents, the elderly, chronically ill and otherwise physically compromised. And yes, the council represents all county residents, rich and poor, rural and urban, young and old, sole proprietor and big box manager, restaurateur and cashier at the fast food drive-up window.
				All those voices must be weighed, and in the end we believe council did just that, deciding to work with the state, rather than in opposition. Councilwoman LeeAnn McDermott offered the sensible solution: Develop a re-opening plan for the county first.
				One idea floating around is to re-open by zip code. This would be wrong, particularly without seriously scrutinizing the data. For example, a quick look at new cases since May 1 coupled with amount of testing in each county Zip Code shows Hazleton&rsquo;s 18201 code (the unequivocal county hot spot) had fewer new cases since May 1 than Wilkes-Barre&rsquo;s 18702 &mdash; 52 at the former and 62 in the latter.
				More importantly, pitting county against county is bad enough, creating a battle between Zip Codes is counter-productive. There are 42 Zips either completely or partially in Luzerne County. If we want to go that fine, why stop there? Let&rsquo;s use voting precincts, or census blocks, or maybe just every square mile.
				County Council&rsquo;s approach is the only one that makes sense. Work with the state. Do everything to prove we are moving in the right direction. Draw up a concrete plan with solid data and clear benchmarks to present to the state and prove we are prepared and know what we&rsquo;re doing. Become an example for other counties.
				We are already at war with a new virus that is killing tens of thousands nationwide. We lose if we also go to war with each other.
				 &mdash; Times Leader

Our View: Luzerne County taking sensible approach to virus re-opening