

“It just happens all the time, I mean, throughout history,“ Spitzer said, adding that the public has learned to take public health for granted because the medical community has generally been so successful in preventing disease. In the early 20th century, during a tuberculosis epidemic, Seattle opened the Firland Sanatorium in what is today the city of Shoreline and picked up people to be quarantined there. Hugh Spitzer, a law professor at the University of Washington, said “governments have always had this ability to take strong action when there are catastrophic events.” But I don’t believe people are going to do that.”


“If somebody is consciously avoiding it, willfully, and the state knows about that, there are measures to have legal means to stop that from happening. Taking such a step is “unprecedented,” officials acknowledged, but one they expected Washingtonians to comply with. Unlike China, however, Washington does not live under authoritarian rule, and citizens are not used to such broad prohibitions. On Wednesday, San Francisco announced restrictions on gatherings of over 1,000 people. Andrew Cuomo implemented a one-mile, two-week quarantine in New Rochelle, which has seen a high concentration of COVID-19 cases. Italy this week restricted movement across the country, the first outside of China to implement such strict measures. In recent days, a more wide-ranging effort to ensure social distancing started to feel inevitable. “The penalties are you might be killing your granddad if you don’t do it,” Inslee said. Without additional steps, said Duchin, the cases could double every week.Īlthough police would not be raiding large events, Inslee and others were clear the measures were legally binding and they expected residents would comply. Nowhere has been hit harder than Washington state, which has so far seen at least 273 cases and at least 24 deaths. The number of COVID-19 cases in the United States has exceeded 1,000 - a number that’s likely more reflective of an increased ability to test than it is the actual number of cases. “It is clear that our state needs a more vigorous and more comprehensive and more aggressive position if we are going to slow the spread of this epidemic,” Inslee said. But it’s a sacrifice that is necessary, they said in a crowded press conference. In a country and region that puts a premium on freedom of movement and civil liberties, officials acknowledged that establishing and enforcing such a measure is dramatic. The move comes as countries across the globe reckon with the health, economic and cultural impacts of the new coronavirus. Mandating social distancing, while uncomfortable, can slow the disease’s spread and ease the impact on hospitals and the vulnerable public, Duchin said. He called it the “infectious disease equivalent of a major earthquake that will shake us for weeks and weeks.” Jeff Duchin, health officer with Public Health - Seattle & King County. The steps are necessary to control the COVID-19 outbreak, said Dr. The policy is set to last until the end of the month, but will likely be extended, he said. Jay Inslee announced Wednesday he is prohibiting gatherings of over 250 people in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties, a nearly unprecedented move in peacetime liberal democracies and one that represents a significant escalation in the effort to contain t he new coronavirus. “We just haven’t had to use them in a long time.” I’m ready to pass the torch.“These are tools from the past that still work,” said Julie Fischer, a professor at Georgetown University's Department of Microbiology and Immunology. Inslee statement: “We’ve made Washington a beacon for progress for the nation.Inslee announces special session date to take up drug possession law.New suite of climate laws continue path to 100% clean energy future.Washington “goes big” on housing in 2023.Inslee appoints Mark Larrañaga to King County Superior Court.Inslee rescinds requirements related to COVID-19 vaccination for state employees.Inslee signs Trueblood fix to improve competency services.‘Blake’ fixed - new drug law balances treatment and accountability.Inslee signs new budgets that go big on housing, behavioral health.Inslee appoints Breean Beggs to Spokane County Superior Court.Inslee appoints Will Steffener to Snohomish County Superior Court.Jay Inslee to lead 100-member delegation representing $70-billion aerospace and aviation sector in Washington state – “Where the Next Big Thing Begins” Request a ceremonial proclamation, greeting or letter.

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