Gov. Jay Inslee today announced the upcoming rescission of all remaining COVID-19 emergency proclamations and state of emergency by Oct. 31.
Nearly three-quarters of the governor’s 85 COVID-19 emergency orders have already been lifted, and an additional 13 health care related orders will end Oct. 27. The remaining 10 orders to be lifted on Oct. 31, including the underlying state of emergency.
“We’ve come a long way the past two years in developing the tools that allow us to adapt and live with COVID-19,” Inslee said. “Ending this order does not mean we take it less seriously or will lose focus on how this virus has changed the way we live. We will continue our commitments to the public’s well-being, but simply through different tools that are now more appropriate for the era we’ve entered.”
Though the state’s emergency orders are ending, public health leaders continue to emphasize the importance of vaccines and masks in keeping communities safe. Vaccines and therapeutic treatments are available to prevent hospitalizations and death. However, COVID-19 remains one of the deadliest infectious viruses in the United States. The virus kills more than 300 people nationally every day, including more than 10 people a day in Washington state.
“Governor Inslee’s rescission of these remaining emergency orders marks an important transition for the state of Washington, but that does not mean that COVID-19 is not in our state anymore,” said Secretary of Health Umair A. Shah, MD, MPH. “We must move forward from a pandemic response to adapting our behaviors to coexist with the COVID-19 vi …
Inslee announces end to remaining COVID-19 emergency orders and state of emergency by October 31 – Governor Jay Inslee
