Washington won’t open Monday
Gov. Jay Inslee’s stay-at-home order will extend past the May 4 deadline
OLYMPIA — Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said Wednesday the state has to see more progress in several areas, including the daily number of new coronavirus cases and deaths, before social distancing restrictions can safely be lifted.
At a news conference, Inslee confirmed the state’s stay-at-home order that was enacted March 23 would remain in place beyond May 4 and said he would have more details Friday “on the phased-in approach about how we will open our economy in a safe way.”
Inslee showed a series of slides to explain the daily, and sometimes hourly, metrics state officials are looking at, ranging from the number of hospitalizations to the current transmission rate in King County to projections for increases in cases if social distancing efforts were ended today.
Inslee said the quickest way to restart the economy is to make sure that “we get this job done.” He warned that lifting his order too soon could lead to a spike in new cases that would require reinstating restrictions.“We do not want to go through this pain again,” he said.