Inslees implore Washington residents to rethink holiday plans due to COVID-19 surge
Gov. Jay Inslee and Trudi Inslee implored Washingtonians Thursday evening to rethink their holiday plans and foreshadowed an announcement of further measures to curb a surge of COVID-19 statewide.
“You know, we’re all fatigued, and it’s OK to not feel OK right now,” Trudi Inslee said during the address. “But what happens next in our state depends on what happens in our families and in our homes. That’s why we implore you: Rethink spending time with ... people outside of your household on Thanksgiving and the December holidays.”
From a couch in the Governor’s Office in Olympia, the Inslees reflected on their family’s Thanksgiving traditions — touch football, a potluck, pie, grandchildren with olives on their fingers — and said they’ll be passing on all of it this year, instead celebrating virtually.
Gathering together indoors, where the virus can easily spread, is just too dangerous, the governor said.
“Tonight, we have a simple request, from our family to yours: Please do not have Thanksgiving gatherings, unless you’re positive that everyone there has quarantined successfully for 14 days,” Gov. Inslee said.
States across the U.S. are experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases. While Washington state has so far not seen the rates of some especially hard-hit states in the middle of the country, the swell here has accelerated in recent weeks.
Earlier this week, state and local health officials warned of that acceleration and the threat it poses to hospitals, urging Washingtonians to recommit to preventive measures to avoid overwhelming hospitals and prompting further state actions.
The state’s weekly average of new cases has doubled in the last two weeks, Gov. Inslee said Thursday.
“We cannot wait until our hospitals’ halls are lined with gurneys waiting for rooms before we take decisive action,” he said.
He said Washington has done well with people masking and businesses adapting, which has put it in a better position than “the vast majority of other states, for now.”
The governor mentioned that further measures to prevent the virus’s spread will be announced “in the next few days,” and that those decisions “will affect what we do outside of the home.”
He’s reviewing proposals from staff, according to spokesperson Mike Faulk, and decisions on measures hadn’t yet been made as of Thursday evening. In an email ahead of the address, Faulk wrote that staff had been reaching out to “stakeholders in various sectors and industries for their input on proposals to restrict activities.”
“As with previous restrictions, the goal is to reduce how often people are likely to come into contact with people from outside their household, limiting the spread, and preventing our health care system from being overwhelmed,” his email read.
While much of the Inslees’ address focused on upcoming holidays, Trudi Inslee also pointed out that the advice applies to all gatherings.
“Every social gathering is just one more brick in a wall of infection,” she said. “It’s not just Thanksgiving. But it’s also your birthday parties, your Seahawks celebrations — it doesn’t matter what you’re doing. These gatherings in your homes are dangerous right now.”
The couple still often struck an encouraging note about the holidays, despite the grim circumstances that prompted their remarks, emphasizing that this will likely be a one-time sacrifice.
“This is a temporary situation, we will get back to normal. The cavalry is on the way, but we need to keep people alive until it gets here,” Inslee said. “Every idea until then is on the table right now, except for the idea of failing to contain this virus. That is not an option.”
They ended with a note of thanks to residents, frontline and essential workers, health care workers, educators, retail and childcare workers, and others.
“There is plenty to be thankful for this year, knowing that we have the tools and the people to defeat this, and we appreciate all of you,” Gov. Inslee said. “We are not helpless in this fight. So let’s go wage it.”
This story was originally published November 12, 2020 at 6:50 PM with the headline "Inslees implore Washington residents to rethink holiday plans due to COVID-19 surge."
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