By Rachel La Corte
The Associated Press
OLYMPIA — Gov. Jay Inslee has extended orders to keep non-essential businesses closed and most of the state’s more than 7 million residents home through May 4, saying social distancing measures must remain in place an additional month to minimize the spread of the coronavirus.
In recent days, Inslee had signaled his initial stay-at-home orders from March 23 — which were set to expire next week — would be extended.
The new proclamation, announced during a Thursday news conference, extends the original order from two weeks to six weeks. Under previous actions taken by Inslee in response to the coronavirus outbreak, all bars, dine-in restaurants, entertainment and recreation facilities have been closed even longer, since March 17.
He said the state’s efforts to date have been robust “but we have an obligation to ourselves and to our loved ones to recognize this is a hard road ahead of us.” All businesses other than those deemed essential — a long list that includes grocery stores, pharmacies, banks, and gas stations — will need to remain closed until May 5.
All public and private gatherings will still be prohibited and people will continue to be required to stay home unless they are pursuing an essential activity, like shopping for groceries, going to a doctor’s appointment, or going to work at an essential business.
People can still go for walks, runs and bike rides outside if they maintain a six-foot distance from others.
Violation of the order is a gross misdemeanor, but the governor’s office has said the goal is education, not to arrest people. Earlier this week, the state released a website where people can report violations of non-essential businesses operating.
Inslee said residents should not call 911 to report individuals or private group who are not following the proclamation, but should instead contact local law enforcement.
In Washington state, there have been about at least 262 COVID-19 deaths and more than 6,500 confirmed cases. For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, or death.
The news of businesses having to stay closed another month comes the same day the state’s Employment Security Department said that a record number of people filed for unemployment benefits last week.
ESD Commissioner Suzi LeVine said Thursday that last week’s number of new claims — 181,975 — is a 3,513% increase over the same week in 2019, calling it a “mind-boggling number.”
Including the ongoing weekly claims previously filed, the agency saw roughly 350,000 cumulative claims come into its claims center last week, LeVine said. She said that more than $67 million in unemployment benefits have been paid out since March 15.
That cumulative number is expected to grow as additional new claims related to the impacts of COVID-19 are filed in the coming weeks, she said.
