How will the coronavirus stay-at-home order be enforced? Inslee explains
Mar 30, 2020, 4:11 PM | Updated: 5:09 pm
Gov. Inslee (Facebook)
(Facebook)
At Monday’s press conference, reporters asked Gov. Inslee when he thinks this might all be over. Will we be in a stay-at-home order this summer? He wouldn’t answer.
“I cannot do that,” Inslee said. “No one can do that today. The data continues to come in and change over the days.”
Inslee said the rate of positive tests in some counties in Washington is not a positive sign, and he understands that people want answers, noting that this time of uncertainty is personal for him, too.
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“They want to know when they’re going back, as do their mother and father,” Inslee said of his grandkids and children. He also said he feels for local business leaders and those that started their dream business.
“This is a huge hardship on these businesses,” Inslee said. “I understand that uncertainty.”
How will the stay-at-home order be enforced?
“We are announcing today about how these measures will be enforced and how Washington residents can help,” Gov. Inslee said of the stay-at-home order. He was joined by law enforcement officials around the state, along with State Attorney General Bob Ferguson.
Inslee described three levels of reporting violations of his “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order.
Tier one: State or local authorities will issue a warning if they receive a complaint.
Tier two: Action will be taken if they don’t stop, starting with possible citations, suspension notices, or revoking a business license.
Tier three: If the violation continues, authorities will refer complaints to the attorney general or law enforcement.
“Taking people to court is the last resort,” Inslee said.
If you believe a business is violating the order, you can file a complaint at coronavirus.wa.gov.
“We’d like you to use your best judgment and notify local law enforcement,” Inlsee said, noting that people should not call 911.
“These are local decisions,” Inlsee said. “We’re not going to tell local enforcement how to do their jobs.”
Ferguson said he doesn’t want to take anyone to court for disobeying the Stay Home, Stay Healthy order, but he will if it’s necessary.
“Our goal is 100 percent voluntary compliance,” Ferguson added.
