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Gov. Jay Inslee on Sunday announced a four-week statewide set of restrictions in response to the recent rapid spread of the COVID-19 virus in Washington and across the country.
The new restrictions come as Washington sees consistent increasing daily case counts, with over 2,000 cases a day over the weekend and average cases in the state doubling over the past two weeks.
“This spike puts us in a more dangerous a position as we were in March,” Inslee said during a press conference Sunday. “And it means, unfortunately, the time has come to reinstate restrictions on activities statewide to preserve the public’s well-being, and to save lives.”
The restrictions are statewide. They took effect Monday, November 16 at 11:59 PM and are scheduled to remain in place until Monday, December 14. The modified restrictions of restaurants, however, will take effect Wednesday, November 18 at 12:01 AM.
To help mitigate financial impacts on businesses and their employees, the state will commit $50 million in aid. Businesses can also apply for Paycheck Protection Plan forgivable loans from the Small Business Administration, or from their local bank. If workers are kept in their jobs, the loans aren’t required to be paid back.
Several Snohomish County leaders voiced support for the governor’s action while also raising concerns about likely economic impacts.
“With COVID-19 cases rapidly rising, action must be taken to save lives and the capacity of our health care system,” County Executive Dave Somers said. “Our state has reached a tipping point where doing nothing is not an option. Clearly, the status quo is not working. We support the Governor’s decisive action to save lives. We will do all we can in Snohomish County to protect our most vulnerable residents, preserve our medical capacity, and keep our small businesses functioning. I am very worried about impacts to our local economy, particularly after the rough year we’ve had. I will continue to be a strong advocate for more federal funding to help us through this wave of the pandemic. We are all beyond frustrated with the need for these measures, but they are necessary to push the curve back down. We’ve done it before and can do it again.”
“I regret the restrictions being necessary, but we need to put on the brakes now to keep from overwhelming the already stressed health care system,” said Dr. Chris Spitters, Health Officer at the Snohomish Health District. “These aren’t across the board shutdowns, but rather a strategic freeze within those sectors and situations that are linked to this recent surge in cases. We need everyone to join in and respect the restrictions to turn this around.”
“With COVID-19 cases on the rise, affecting more and more of our neighbors, friends and family, it’s clear that we need to do more to slow the spread of this public health threat,” Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin said. “Bold actions that align with the recommendations of public health experts must be taken. We support the Governor’s difficult decision and know it will help in our effort to save lives. I am very worried for our small businesses and our residents who will be affected by these necessary actions as they will intensify the toll COVID-19 is already having on our economy and in our way of life. I will fight and advocate for federal funding to support our economies as we work together to combat this pandemic. My team at the City of Everett will prioritize finding ways to support our local economy and work with business owners to find innovative solutions.”
“These past 10+ months have been extremely difficult, and we know that fatigue is setting in, but we can’t give up now,” Lynnwood Mayor Nicola Smith said in a Facebook post. “We all play an important role in helping to slow the spread of the virus. By doing our part to slow the spread of the virus, we are in turn spreading kindness. By taking appropriate actions such as wearing a face mask, keeping up social distancing, and keeping your social gatherings limited, you are spreading kindness.”
 The “explosive” growth in new COVID-19 cases in Snohomish County already is boosting local hospitalizations and raising worries about overwhelming the health care system, a virtual press conference was told Tuesday.
COVID-19 cases have hit an all-time high and “We’re increasing 50% per week. So when you hear the term exponential growth, that’s what’s occurring,” said Dr. Chris Spitters, Health Officer at the Snohomish Health District.
Spitters call the infection rate “explosive” and warned of its impacts on the local health system.
As of Tuesday, Snohomish County hospitals were treating 52 confirmed cases of COVID with three additional suspected. A total of 10 people from that pool were on mechanical ventilation in intensive care.
The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 is roughly 2.5 times that of late October. “And if we don’t turn this around beginning immediately, then that 50 will become 100 and then that’s definitely where the hospital system is going to be in big trouble and that means we’re all in big trouble, too,” Spitters said.
Spitters joined County Executive Dave Somers and Dr. Tom Tocher, Chief Medical Officer, Community Health Center of Snohomish County, in encouraging people to adhere to new restrictions put into effect this week by Gov. Jay Inslee to slow COVID transmission. Among other things, the governor has outlined steps to limit indoor contact between those who don’t share a home. Data suggest those interactions are contributing most to the spread of new cases.
“We really shouldn’t be confused about where we are,” Executive Somers said. “We are on an icy road, going about 100 miles per hour. And we are tapping the breaks with the most recent actions by the governor to try to slow down. If that doesn’t work, we’re going to have to take even more serious action or face more serious consequences.”
The demand for COVID tests has more than doubled at Community Health Center in recent weeks and the positivity rate has jumped from 4% to 8%, said Dr. Tocher.
“The virus is a force of nature,” Tocher said. “It’s like the rain or the wind. We can’t stop it from being around, we can’t protest it. It’s going to spread, and we have to do everything we can to prevent that spread, to interrupt that spread.”
The community is “at a critical point where we still have the opportunity to reduce or prevent an overwhelming surge of demand on our hospitals, which are already under stress,” Spitters said.
Watch the Snohomish County briefing: https://youtu.be/IYFr2I12E0U
Or read the transcript and view the slides from Dr. Spitters: https://www.snohd.org/DocumentCenter/View/5746
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