Gov. Jay Inslee on Friday issued a travel advisory for Washington, recommending a 14-day quarantine for interstate and international travel and asking residents to stay close to home. Inslee joined California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Oregon Gov. Kate Brown in urging visitors entering their states or returning home from travel outside these states to self-quarantine to slow the spread of the virus.
“COVID-19 cases have doubled in Washington over the past two weeks. This puts our state in as dangerous a position today as we were in March,” Inslee said. “Limiting and reducing travel is one way to reduce further spread of the disease. I am happy to partner with California and Oregon in this effort to help protect lives up and down the West Coast.”
“California just surpassed a sobering threshold – one million COVID-19 cases – with no signs of the virus slowing down,” said Newsom. “Increased cases are adding pressure on our hospital systems and threatening the lives of seniors, essential workers and vulnerable Californians. Travel increases the risk of spreading COVID-19 and we must all collectively increase our efforts at this time to keep the virus at bay and save lives.”
“COVID-19 does not stop at state lines. As hospitals across the West are stretched to capacity, we must take steps to ensure travelers are not bringing this disease home with them,” said Brown. “If you do not need to travel, you shouldn’t. This will be hard, especially with Thanksgiving around the corner. But the best way to keep your family safe is to stay close to home.”
In addition to urging individuals arriving from other states or countries to self-quarantine for 14 days after arrival, the states’ travel advisories recommend individuals limit their interactions to their immediate household. The advisories define essential travel as travel for work and study, critical infrastructure support, economic services and supply chains, health, immediate medical care, and safety and security.
Learn more at Washington state travel advisory.
On Thursday, Inslee and his wife Trudi delivered a seven-minute televised message to Washington residents that encouraged them to cancel plans for social gatherings, including Thanksgiving and Christmas get-togethers due to the virus’ spread. The couple also said their own family would not be holding a traditional in-person Thanksgiving.
In addition, the governor is expected to announce additional statewide restrictions soon.
ignore the chap!
More to come at Inslee’s Sunday morning press conference tomorrow at 11am!
Anticipate closing of indoor gyms, schools, restaurant dining rooms, and limiting grocery stores to 25% capacity, among others.
Ray Oram – when you say ignore the chap you are spitting in the face of your family, neighbors and health care workers. If you watched the Governor’s press briefing today ,Sunday, did you also listen to the doctors and more specifically the ICU nurse with his heartfelt plea to the public? If we do not do this together and protect our people who is? Certainly not you from the sounds of it. As a former ICU?CCU and ER nurse I can attest to the daily grind of low staffing, Inadequate supplies and the unimaginable fatigue both mentally and physically that the staff goes thru on a daily basis. They will take care of you if you get Covid and need critical care. Even if you flaunt the rules, because that is what we do. I implore you to see things from this perspective. If the least we can do is socially distance and wear a mask, is that really too much to ask?! Our parents and grandparents generations made many sacrifices during two World Wars. Well this is our change to step up and do the same. And shame on us if we don’t.
Why not just ignore Ray and follow the guidelines of the experts. Personally. I could care less about other people’s political views about this. It’s a medical problem, not a political one.
There is a medical component, but how it has been handled has political implications.
If we receive a critical diagnosis and treatment plan, we would seek a second opinion, then debate the merits, costs, and benefits of each. So why is it in the face of this critical diagnosis and treatment plan, second opinions are not accepted for an intelligent conversation?
Consider the consequences described in the recently released book, “The Price of Panic-How the Tyranny of Experts Turned a Pandemic Into a Catastrophe” (intro at https://libro.eb20.net/Reader/rdr.aspx?b=210004124 )
Another response plan is contained in the Great Barrington Declaration, available at https://gbdeclaration.org/ for reading and signing.
We are in this together; let’s think clearly together.
Clint, you’re not a business owner and are retired right? Are your children living with you and need to be provided for?
Matt, why are you asking me personal questions you already know the answers to I suspect? My only point here is that this is a medical problem which can only be resolved, or at least made better, with good medical practices. I can’t help a business owner or my loved ones if I’m dead can I? You ignore who you want and I’ll do the same, thank you very much.