Coronavirus stay-at-home order and business closures may be extended, Inslee says

The stay-at-home and business closure orders that are in effect for Washington state may need to be extended, Gov. Jay Inslee said Thursday.

“The reason is we simply cannot allow this virus to be slowed, then spring back upon us. We’ve got to pound it and we’ve got to pound it until it’s done. I’m glad that Washingtonians are pitching into what is really a warfare against what is a fatal disease in our state,” the governor said at a press conference.

The emergency proclamation that Inslee signed on Monday bans all public and private gatherings of people until 12:01 a.m. April 7. The closure of all non-essential businesses expires at 12:01 a.m. April 9.

If extended, Inslee did not say how long the orders would last.

Inslee said he had some “hopeful news” about the new coronavirus outbreak in Washington.

“We do think there is some evidence that our community mitigation strategies – the things we have done already; to close schools, to close restaurants and theaters, to prohibit gatherings – have been able to slow the rate of increase in King, Snohomish, and Pierce counties,” he said.

Inslee displayed a graph comparing states at a point when they had 20 cases of the coronavirus. The data shows a “very slight lessening of the rate of increase” in coronavirus cases in Washington, the governor said.

“The reason it’s a glimmer of hope is that this is suggestive that some of the things that we’re doing together are causing some very modest improvement, and that ought to give us an additional commitment to the things we’re doing today.

“We cannot let up on this virus even if we get to a point where there is continuation of reducing the rate of increase. We eventually want to see these numbers start to drop down on a weekly basis. But the fact is we have to hammer this until we can be assured that it won’t spring back up,” Inslee added.

The governor said while the state has “lowered the curve just a little bit” in the central Puget Sound region, the rate of increase in coronavirus cases has not decreased in other parts of the state.

“It might give you a false sense of security to look at it because in many areas of the state we’re not bending the curve and those communities are looking for a wave of fatalities in their communities if we are not successful in doing that,” Inslee added.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is sending field hospitals to Washington to boost hospital capacity as the number of coronavirus patients increases. In addition, the Army is providing a 146-bed field hospital and the Army Corps of Engineers is examining sites for additional hospital beds, Inslee said.

“We are appreciative for this federal medical assistance because it is necessary to prevent our health care system and our workers from being even more overwhelmed,” he said.

About 31,000 tests for COVID-19 have been administered, but Washington has “very significant unmet needs in testing,” the governor said.

“That is why it is so important for the federal government to increase its support for testing materials,” said Inslee, who spoke to President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence about the matter on a conference call Thursday morning with other governors.

The state has received significant shipments of personal protective equipment for health workers from the federal government, but Inslee said he has “profound, long-term concerns about being able to procure these necessities.”

The governor said the state has purchased equipment from private companies and has received donations, but the state cannot meet the additional demand for masks, gloves and other items from around the state.

“We need the full energy of the manufacturing capacity of the United States of America to be engaged to manufacture these supplies, and we need a national system of procurement … Today, we are in a mad scramble, frankly, with 50 states competing against one another for crucial supplies.”

The governor’s remarks came an hour after the state Employment Security Department released data showing the number of new claims by Washington residents for unemployment benefits last week increased by 119,310 over the previous week — an 843 percent increase.

Inslee said the bill that the U.S. Senate approved late Wednesday will expand eligibility for Washington unemployment benefits to part-time employees and some “gig” workers. Also, the bill will enable the state to increase the amount of payments to the jobless. The governor said he didn’t have precise figures yet.

The spike in claims comes as the state has used increasingly restrictive measures to combat the spread of the the coronavirus, which has killed 147 and infected 3,2072, according to information posted by the state Department of Health on Thursday. That includes four deaths in Pierce County, four in Benton County, and four in Whatcom County.

This story was originally published March 26, 2020 at 12:25 PM.