Gov. Inslee issues travel advisory for Washington amid sharp rise in COVID cases
Nov 13, 2020, 9:17 AM | Updated: 10:58 am
Seattle-Tacoma Airport. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
(AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Gov. Jay Inslee announced Friday that he is enacting a travel advisory for Washington, advising a 14-day quarantine for travelers moving through the state.
This encompasses any travelers arriving in Washington from out of the state or country, “including returning Washington residents.” This does not apply to anyone who crosses state or international borders for “essential travel.”
The order also encourages Washingtonians to stay close to home and avoid travel altogether if possible, and limit interactions to immediate households.
“COVID-19 cases have doubled in Washington over the past two weeks. This puts our state in as dangerous a position today as we were in March,” Inslee said in a written release. “Limiting and reducing travel is one way to reduce further spread of the disease.”
Gov. Inslee asks Washingtonians to ‘rethink’ holiday celebrations
This comes as part of a partnership with Oregon and California, which also issued similar travel advisories Friday.
“COVID-19 does not stop at state lines,” Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said. “As hospitals across the West are stretched to capacity, we must take steps to ensure travelers are not bringing this disease home with them.”
On Thursday, Inslee delivered an address alongside his wife Trudi, urging Washingtonians to avoid gatherings for Thanksgiving and the December holidays as COVID cases continue to rise statewide and across the United States.
He hinted at the time that while he wasn’t enacting any sort of lockdown yet, he would be announcing further action in the coming days.
