No immediate plans to expand virus restrictions in Washington
People gather on the sidewalk in front of the Union Gospel Mission in downtown Seattle, Friday, March 20, 2020. The Mission serves a large portion of Seattle's homeless population, and officials fear that controlling the spread of the new coronavirus in groups that lack access to basic hygiene and other supplies will be difficult. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) Issa Barry looks out over the Seattle skyline, including the iconic Space Needle, as he stands near a sculpture at a popular park Friday, March 20, 2020. People in the state are being asked to maintain physical distan…
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — There are no immediate plans in Washington state to enact more stringent social distancing requirements to fight the spread of coronavirus like those imposed by California, New York and other states, Gov. Jay Inslee’s chief of staff said Friday.
“We don’t feel it’s necessary to take that next step today, in terms of shutting down more businesses,” David Postman told reporters.
Postman said that compared to what Washington state is already doing, there’s not much difference in what’s closed in states that have issues shelter-in-place orders.
“It’s a difference of messaging,” he said. In California, for example, grocery stores, farmers markets, food banks, convenience stores, pharmacies and other health care providers, news outlets, banks and laundromats are still open and restaurants can still provide take-out food and make deliveries.
Postman said that at a press conference scheduled later Friday, Inslee would be talking about strategies related to the topic of safety of workers who are in the at-risk category of 60 or older or people with underlying health conditions.
Washington has reported at least 83 deaths from COVID-19, the most in the United States, and more than 1,500 confirmed cases.
The state has already closed schools through the late April, banned events and ordered bars to close and restaurants to serve only take out or drivethru options.
Postman said that the governor is constantly weighing various data points, like traffic or ER visits, as he determines if new actions need to be taken.
“I think it’s unlikely that’s what in place today will carry us through to the end of this outbreak,” he said. “The question is how much do you do, how do you do it. But no one should think we’re done imposing orders to keep people safe.”
On Friday, Inslee sent a letter to President Donald Trump asking for him to declare a major disaster in the state. Such a declaration would enable additional federal assistance to residents affected by COVID-19. Those benefits include expanded unemployment assistance and basic food benefits.
“The state urgently requires additional supplemental federal emergency assistance in order to save lives, protect public health and safety, and limit further spread of the disease,” Inslee wrote.
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AP reporter Martha Bellisle contributed from Seattle.