Inslee orders travelers from Great Britain and South Africa to quarantine
Travelers to Washington from the United Kingdom and South Africa are now required to spend 14 days in quarantine. The order was made Monday by Gov. Jay Inslee following news reports that a highly infectious mutated strain of the coronavirus is circulating in those countries.
“Today’s action is a common sense public health measure in response to developments in Europe,” Inslee said. “And it is another attempt to keep Washingtonians safe from this fatal, potentially fatal, disease.”
While the order is mandatory, Inslee said those who do not heed the order will not be taken into custody.
The order is retroactive for passengers who arrived in Washington in the last few days, Inslee said. Flight crews are exempt.
Some 40 countries have imposed travel bans on travelers from England.
While it does not appear that the mutated strain causes a higher degree of illness, its rapid spread and outpacing of the original strain are concerning health officials. The vaccines now being distributed throughout the U.S. appear to be effective against the new strain, health officials say.
The variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 first appeared in September, according to Dr. Trevor Bedford of Fred Hutch’s vaccine and infectious disease division.
“If you look in London in the past several weeks, this variant has been rapidly increasing in frequency,” Bedford said. “It’s now the predominant virus that’s circulating in London.”
The new variant is 70% more transmissible than the strain circulating in the U.S., Beford said.
Washington still seems to be avoiding the predicted Thanksgiving surge but the situation remains tenuous, Inslee said.
Inslee urged travelers to get tested for the coronavirus and for Washington residents to remain vigilant and use masks, social distancing, hand washing and other safety measures.
Inslee did not know how long the order would be in place.
This story was originally published December 21, 2020 at 3:53 PM with the headline "Inslee orders travelers from Great Britain and South Africa to quarantine."
