Gov. Inslee extends COVID-19 restrictions for one week
Gov. Jay Inslee has extended for one week the statewide restrictions he imposed Nov. 15, part of his “Stay Safe–Stay Healthy” proclamation.
The statewide restrictions would have expired Monday, Jan. 4, but now will expire on Jan. 11. No changes were made in the proclamation aside from the expiration date.
“Our consistent mission has been keeping Washingtonians safe and ensuring health care system and hospital capacity,” Inslee said in a news release from his office. The governor did not convene a news conference to announce the extension.
“We understand the profound impact COVID is having on our healthcare system, families and businesses, but I am heartened by the number of Washingtonians who continue to do the right thing. If we continue distancing from others, wearing facial coverings and avoiding social gatherings, we will make it to the other side of this pandemic together.”
The news release says an updated reopening plan is being developed and will be released next week — the plan will “provide a pathway for businesses and workers impacted by this order to reopen safely,” it reads.
Inslee announced the current restrictions, which eliminated indoor service at restaurants and bars, closed indoor activity at gyms, and limited retail store occupancy, in an effort to curb a surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in mid-November. He announced a three-week extension Dec. 8.
The governor warned at the time that the extension could become shorter or longer, if the COVID-19 situation improved or deteriorated. Health officials have recently said spread is slowing in Washington state, but that the situation is tenuous and still far from the state of the pandemic last seen in summer and fall.
Indoor social gatherings with people outside one’s household are also prohibited under the extended restrictions, and outdoor gatherings should include five or fewer people from outside the household. However, people can gather inside if they all quarantine for 14 days before or seven days with a negative test no more than two days before they gather.
A full list of the restrictions is available here: https://www.governor.wa.gov/sites/default/files/proclamations/COVID%2019%20November%20Statewide%20Restrictions.pdf.
This story was originally published December 30, 2020 at 10:51 AM.
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