Governor extends Washington state stay-at-home order through May 31
Gov. Jay Inslee on Monday will extend the stay-at-home order through May 31 to continue the social distancing strategy against the new coronavirus pandemic.
“We have not won this fight against the virus. Monday’s order will continue a ban on public gatherings. Many businesses will have to remain closed,” he said at a Friday press conference.
Inslee said Washington businesses will reopen in four phases — each one separated by at least three weeks. The governor said smaller counties not hit hard by COVID-19 will be able to apply to the state Department of Health for a variance from his order “that will allow for more quickly moving to each next phase.”
The phases still will require social distancing — being at least 6 feet apart from other people unless they are household members — and the “use of personal protective equipment in a number of industries,” he said.
The first phase begins May 5, said Inslee spokeswoman Tara Lee.
The four phases are:
1. By mid-May, the state will allow retail curbside pickup; automobile sales; and car washes with social distancing restrictions. This phase also would allow drive-in spiritual services with one household per vehicle, Inslee said.
2. Additional expansions of outdoor recreation activities, including camping. Small gatherings of five people or less would be allowed, as well as new construction and in-store retail purchases with health restrictions. Barber shops and salons could reopen. Restaurants could reopen with 50 percent capacity and table size no larger than 5. Some professional services and offices could open up as well, even though teleworking would remain strongly encouraged. Pet care services including grooming could resume.
3. Gatherings up to 50 people or less, including sports activities, would be allowed and non-essential travel would resume. Restaurants could move up to 75 percent capacity and bars at 25 percent capacity; gyms and movie theaters could reopen at 50 percent capacity; retail, libraries, museums and government buildings could reopen. Recreational facilities such as pools could open at 50 percent capacity. Nightclubs and entertainment venues would still not be able to reopen.
4. The majority of public interactions would resume. Gatherings of more than 50 people would be allowed, but still while practicing social distancing. Nightclubs and entertainment venues would be able to reopen.
“I have said that our return to normal will still not look the way things did before this virus until we have pharmaceutical interventions such as a vaccine. No one knows when that is going to happen.” Inslee said.
“But it would mean bars, restaurants and entertainment venues could return to allow the maximum licensed capacity of their venues; and we could resume unrestricted staffing of worksites, with the exception again that physical distancing should remain in place,” Inslee said of the fourth phase.
Washington had 14,637 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 824 deaths as of Thursday, the most recent data from the state Department of Health.
At the news conference, Inslee said some counties with lower numbers of cases and deaths, small populations and sufficient amounts of personal protective equipment and hospital capacity can apply to the Department of Health for a variance so they can move more quickly to the next phase.
Those 10 counties that are eligible are Columbia, Garfield, Jefferson, Lincoln, Pend Oreille, Skamania, Wahkiakum, Kittitas, Ferry and Grays Harbor.
“In the next two weeks, the Department of Health and my office will consider additional criteria for allowing other counties to apply for a variance,” Inslee said.
State Rep. Beth Doglio, D-Olympia, said she is hopeful Thurston County will be eligible soon. Thurston County has 110 confirmed cases and just one death as of Friday.
“I’m as impatient as anyone. I’m so ready to launch back into the world that we knew, but it’s really important that we pay attention to the data and protect our elders and those with pre-existing health conditions.
“I think a phased approach is very smart so that we don’t lose ground on the gains that we have made. If you look at the numbers across the country, Washington state has done better than most states our size,” Doglio said.
But the Democratic governor has faced increasing pressure from Republican lawmakers and local government officials to reopen businesses deemed “non-essential,” including movie theaters and restaurants, which right now can offer takeout but not dine-in service.
Some business owners have accused Inslee of unfairly picking “winners and losers” in deciding which firms can be open or closed.
House Republican Leader J.T. Wilcox of Yelm said in a statement: “There are still more questions than answers after Governor Inslee’s announcement that he is extending his stay-home order to May 31 and probably beyond.
“Individuals, families and businesses are under a tremendous amount of stress and I don’t know if the governor understands the depth of the economic and emotional toll this is taking on Washingtonians. They need hope and certainty, but they didn’t get that today,” Wilcox said.
After Inslee’s press conference, Senate Republicans said it could be July before phase four begins.
Senate Republican leader Mark Schoesler of Ritzville said in a statement: “Governor Inslee says he wants to bet on success, not failure, yet he apparently believes the majority of Washington employers would fail to protect their employees and customers if they were allowed to reopen anytime soon. That’s a disappointment.
“Republicans believe these businesses would follow the steps we’ve seen grocery stores and big-box stores and others take. It seems he has listened to Republican ideas about low-risk business operations like auto dealers and landscapers and car washes, and taking a county-by-county approach instead of forcing the same restrictions on all counties,” Schoesler said.
The governor announced the stay-at-home order and non-essential business closures on March 23. The order would have expired in early April, but Inslee extended his proclamation through May 4.
On Wednesday, Inslee said Washington has to make more progress in reducing the number of daily COVID-19 cases and deaths before the stay-at-home order can be lifted. Exceptions to the order are if people are pursuing an essential activity such as shopping for groceries, going to a doctor’s appointment or the pharmacy, or taking a walk with social distancing.
Earlier Friday, state Rep. Chris Gildon, R-Puyallup, called for county governments to be able to make some decisions about when businesses can reopen and employees return to work.
Gildon sent a letter to Inslee signed by nearly 50 legislators and county officials.
“A one-size-fits-all policy may have assisted with slowing the spread of the virus, but now it will only prolong emotional and economic suffering across the state if continued in the same manner,” he added.
After Inslee’s press conference, Gildon said it appeared Inslee was taking the proposal for a “test drive.”
“I believe that we’ll see some really good results in those 10 counties that he allowed. As those results reveal themselves, I am really hopeful that the governor will expand on this idea and really fully decentralize to the county level,” he said.
In an interview, former Gov. Christine Gregoire said she understands why business owners want to reopen and some residents are calling for the stay-at-home order to be lifted.
“I get the frustration, but every public health official we talk to — without exception — makes it clear ‘you’ve got to get this right. If you don’t get it right, you put lives at risk and you put the economy at even greater risk,’” said Gregoire, who is chief executive officer of Challenge Seattle, a group that includes many of the region’s largest employers.
Challenge Seattle has released a 39-page guide to help businesses reopen.
Over the past week, Inslee has lifted some of the restrictions of his stay-at-home and partial business closure order, and also clarified his ban on non-elective surgeries.
Inslee announced that low-risk residential and commercial construction could resume as long as builders protect their workers from the risk of COVID-19 infection.
Construction firms are required to develop and post at each job site a comprehensive COVID-19 exposure control, mitigation, and recovery plan. Only work that can be done while social distancing is allowed.
Several residential construction sites have resumed work in the past week, said Jennifer Spall, spokeswoman for the Building Industry Association of Washington, one of the groups that worked with the governor’s office to allow low-risk construction to resume.
Some firms are having problems getting personal protective equipment and sinks so that workers can wash their hands regularly. Also, state and local permitting officials are restarting their work at different times around the state.
“A lot of our members are super happy and they’re back on site,” Spall said on Friday.
On Monday, Inslee announced a partial re-opening of some outdoor recreation.
Fishing, hunting and golfing can resume on May 5, and people also can also return to state parks and other state lands for day trips.
The governor said all of the activities must be done with social distancing to protect participants and the people who work in outdoor recreation.
“If we see a sharp uptick in the number of people who are getting sick or are not following appropriate steps, then we won’t hesitate to scale this back again,” Inslee said. “This is not a return to normal. This is only a beginning phase of relaxing outdoor recreation restrictions.”
Public gatherings, events, team sports, and camping, among other things, are not resuming on May 5, Inslee said.
The governor on March 19 ordered a halt to elective surgeries and dental services, saying the state needed to make sure that health care workers had enough protective equipment to work the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Wednesday, Inslee said the state had offered guidance to hospitals and health care providers on what procedures qualify as “non-urgent” surgeries that could move forward.
In making that decision, “clinicians should consider if a patient’s illness or injury is causing significant pain, significant dysfunction in their daily life or work, or is either progressing or at risk to progress,” according to Inslee’s memo.
The Washington State Hospital Association praised Inslee’s guidance.
“As we prepare for a potential COVID-19 surge this fall, we hope to begin offering additional medical services soon, such as cancer screenings,” said Cassie Sauer, the group’s president and chief executive officer. “Patients rely on this care for their well-being, and we want to be there for our communities.”
This story was originally published May 1, 2020 at 2:35 PM with the headline "Governor extends Washington state stay-at-home order through May 31."