Gov. Jay Inslee speaks with media on earlier this month.
Gov. Jay Inslee joined the governors of Oregon and California Friday morning in issuing a travel advisory recommending residents to stay close to home and limit interstate travel unless necessary.
The advisory also recommends visitors to Washington from other states quarantine for 14 days after arrival.
“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 news release. “Limiting and reducing travel is one way to reduce further spread of the disease. I am happy to partner with California and Oregon in this effort to help protect lives up and down the West Coast.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom of California, and Gov. Kate Brown of Oregon joined Inslee.
“California just surpassed a sobering threshold –—one million COVID-19 cases — with no signs of the virus slowing down,” Newsom said in the release. “Increased cases are adding pressure on our hospital systems and threatening the lives of seniors, essential workers and vulnerable Californians. Travel increases the risk of spreading COVID-19 and we must all collectively increase our efforts at this time to keep the virus at bay and save lives.”
Brown noted that state lines do not contain the virus.
“COVID-19 does not stop at state lines. As hospitals across the West are stretched to capacity, we must take steps to ensure travelers are not bringing this disease home with them,” she said. “If you do not need to travel, you shouldn’t. This will be hard, especially with Thanksgiving around the corner. But the best way to keep your family safe is to stay close to home.”
Residents are advised to limit interactions to their immediate household. Essential travel is defined as travel for work, study, critical infrastructure support, economic services and supply chains, health, immediate medical care and safety and security.
