Washington issues travel advisory; recommends 14-day quarantine for anyone traveling to the state

Washington Issues Travel Advisory

Gov. Jay Inslee on Friday issued a new travel advisory recommending that anyone traveling to Washington or returning home quarantine for 14 days to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Inslee is joining with the governors in Oregon and California in issuing the new advisory for nonessential travel. The recommendations come as coronavirus cases are surging across Washington and much of the country, reaching new peaks.

“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 statement.

“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.”

People traveling to Washington from other states or countries are also being urged to "limit their interactions to their immediate household."

As part of the advisory, Inslee is also asking that people stay close to home and "avoid non-essential travel."

The announcement comes a day after Inslee held a public address Thursday urging Washington residents to change their Thanksgiving and holiday travel plans and warning he could put into place new restrictions as early as next week to slow the spread of the virus.

"We are in as dangerous a position today as we were in March. We're in a period of what's called exponential growth and every single day matters," Inslee said during the brief address. "We cannot wait until our hospital's halls are lined with gurneys waiting for rooms before we take decisive action."

Inslee said instead of traditional holidays, people should limit gatherings to just members of their households and opt for virtual options.

"We are optimistic that Thanksgiving 2021 will be the best ever, but this year it's just too dangerous to gather together indoors, where the virus can spread so easily," Inslee said. "So this year, when you join us in changing your Thanksgiving and December holiday plans, please know that you are doing it as an act of love ... we love each other too much to put each other's health at risk."

Coronavirus cases have been rising across Washington since September. Over the past two weeks, though, the state has experienced accelerated growth in cases. Cases are rising across all age groups, including people who are older and more vulnerable.

The state has been seeing new highs in the number of coronavirus cases it has been reporting daily. Across the state, the majority of counties are experiencing the highest peaks they have seen since the start of the pandemic. Hospitalizations have also been rising and health officials are worried if the state continues on its current trajectory, Washington's hospital systems will eventually be overwhelmed.

Public health officials across Washington also issued a dire warning earlier this week about the spread of the virus. They repeated the message they have been reiterating for months, urging people to recommit to efforts to slow the spread of the virus, to wear masks, socially distance and avoid large gatherings.

"We are coming to you with an immediate sense of renewed urgency," Secretary of Health John Wiesman said during the news briefing earlier this week. "We are really concerned at this point what what we are seeing in the trends and believe that immediate action is needed now.... We don't want this to take a toll again on the state's economy and on our people and really need everybody pulling together to flatten the curve once again.

Source - https://www.seattlepi.com/coronavirus/article/washington-travel-advisory-quarantine-coronavirus-15725520.php