You can find free COVID-19 testing sites in Seattle and King County here.
Washington Exposure Notifications, which notifies people of possible COVID-19 exposures, is now live. The app can be downloaded here.
ECONOMIC RESPONSE
Essential Service Designations:
In conjunction with Gov. Inslee’s March 23 stay at home order, the State defined “essential critical infrastructure workers” to include various types of workers in the health care, emergency services, food and agriculture, energy, water and wastewater, transportation and logistics, communications and IT, hazardous materials, defense, chemicals and financial services sectors. (March 23)
Labor & Workforce Guidance, Standards and Regulations:
Washington released official reopening guidelines for businesses and workers based on sector. Details for each sector can be found here.
Governor Inslee announced a new cap on fees charged to restaurants by third-party delivery platforms. (November 23)
Governor Inslee and Secretary of Health John Wiesman announced a statewide requirement for businesses to require face coverings of all employees and customers. (July 2)
Governor Inslee directed state agencies under his authority to cancel a scheduled 3% wage increase for many of the state’s highest-paid general government employees and to begin furloughs for many state employees. (June 17)
Economic Stimulus & Relief:
Governor Inslee announced applications will be accepted for the next round of assistance under the Washington COVID-19 Immigrant Relief Fund starting April 21. (April 21)
Governor Inslee extended the moratorium on utility shut-offs through July 31. The eviction moratorium was also extended through June 30. (March 18)
Governor Inslee signed House Bill 1368, which would appropriate $2.2 billion in federal funding to help states respond to the ongoing COVID-19 emergency. (February 20)
Governor Inslee announced additional relief for Washington residents, including $20 million for rental assistance and $15 million for energy bills for low-income households. (November 23)
Governor Inslee announced an extension of the current eviction moratorium and public utility proclamations. (October 14)
Governor Inslee announced a new state group, the Washington Recovery Group, to strengthen recovery efforts by helping state agencies coordinate with local governments, high education, and the private sector. (October 13)
Governor Inslee announced nearly $190 million in federal stimulus funding for local governments that did not receive direct distributions under the CARES Act. (August 31)
Governor Inslee announced the creation of the Immigrant Relief Fund to benefit immigrants and the Food Production Paid Leave Program to benefit agricultural workers. (August 10)
Nearly $6 million in federal grant funding for COVID-19 relief was awarded to five Washington tribes. (July 20)
Governor Inslee announced additions to the Family Emergency Assistance Program to those affected by the COVID-19 recession. (July 9)
Business Support & Resources:
The Washington State Department of Commerce reopened applications for Working Washington grants, which would provide small businesses up to $20,000 in COVID-19 relief. Businesses can apply here.
The Town of Burien enacted passed an ordinance that would provide hazard pay in the form of an additional $5.00 an hour to grocery store workers. (February 10)
Governor Inslee extended 26 proclamations relating to COVID-19 which cover a broad range of statutory waivers that support state and local services during the COVID pandemic. (January 19)
Governor Inslee announced a new cap on fees charged to restaurants by third-party delivery platforms. (November 23)
Governor Inslee announced several actions to help small businesses, including the formation of the Working Washington Small Business Grant to assist small businesses with under 10 employees; the provision of business resiliency assistance through partnerships with organizations that serve economically disadvantaged communities; and the acceptance of applications for U.S. SBA forgivable loans. (April 8)
SOCIAL RESTRICTIONS
Reopening:
Washington published a public transportation safety guide, which can be found here.
On July 12, the Washington Liquor & Cannabis Board will launch “Joints for Jabs,” which will provide one pre-rolled cannabis joint to vaccinated adults 21 years of age and older. (June 9)
The Washington State Department of Health launched a new mobile vaccine service called “Care-A-Van” that will deliver vaccines to communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. (June 2)
Governor Inslee has issued the Safe Workers Proclamation to protect workers who are getting vaccinated, in quarantine, or are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms from adverse actions from employers. (May 22)
The Washington State Department of Health announced that all counties had moved into Phase 3 of Governor Inslee’s Healthy Washington: Roadmap to Recovery phased reopening plan. (May 18)
Governor Inslee announced the state would reopen on June 30. (May 14)
Governor Inslee announced a two-week pause on Washington’s recovery plan, under which every county would remain in its current phase. (May 4)
Beginning April 15, all residents 16 years of age or older will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. (March 31)
On March 31, Washington will open COVID-19 vaccine appointments for: anyone with two or more comorbidities; anyone between the ages of 60 and 64; anyone living in congregate settings, such as correctional facilities, group homes for those with disabilities, and those experiencing homelessness; and any additional workers in congregate settings, including restaurants and food service workers, manufacturing, and construction. (March 22)
All counties in Washington will move to Phase 3 of the state’s “Healthy Washington” reopening plan on March 22. Indoor spaces, like restaurants and movie theaters, would be allowed to open at 50 percent occupancy. Up to 400 people would be allowed to attend indoor and outdoor activities, such as concerts and high school graduations, as long as physical distancing and masking is enforced. (March 15)
Governor Inslee released a new projected vaccination timeline for the state: On March 22, select critical workers and persons 16 years of age and older who are pregnant or have a disability will be eligible for vaccination; On April 12, persons 50 years of age and older with two or more preexisting conditions will be eligible for the vaccine; On April 26, persons 16 years of age and older with two or more preexisting conditions and people living in homelessness or congregate settings will be eligible for the vaccine. (March 4)
Emergency telehealth coverage in Washington has been extended to March 7. (February 5)
Governor Inslee announced that people receiving extended foster care services would not age out at 21 years of age during the pandemic. (January 29)
Washington will receive a 16% increase in its vaccine supply from the federal government over the next three weeks. (January 26)
Governor Inslee announced that Washington had partnered with Starbucks to streamline the COVID-19 vaccine distribution process, aiming to administer 45,000 vaccines per day. (January 18)
Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler extended an emergency order that required the coverage of telehealth to February 7. (January 8)
Governor Inslee announced that Washington will begin Stage 1B of the state’s vaccination distribution plan, which would prioritize vaccinating individuals age 70 or older and individuals age 50 or above who live in multi-generational households. (January 7)
Washington was expected to get its first 62,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine the week of December 14, and a total of 222,000 vaccines by the end of the month. (December 14)
Governor Inslee extended the current social restrictions on social gatherings through January 4. (December 8)
Governor Inslee announced a four-week statewide set of restrictions in response to a recent rapid spread of COVID-19 in Washington. (November 15)
Governor Inslee asked Washingtonians to cancel multihousehold plans, including Thanksgiving and other holiday gatherings, due to rising rates of COVID-19 infections. (November 12)
Governor Inslee announced updated guidance for religious and faith-based organizations. (October 21)
Governor Inslee announced updates to the Safe Start reopening plan, including guidance on libraries, youth/adult sports, movie theaters, restaurants, and more. (October 6)
Governor Inslee announced new standards for airports in Washington. (September 24)
Governor Inslee announced updated guidance for venues, including convention and conference centers, designated meeting spaces in hotels, events centers, and other similar venues. (September 22)
Governor Inslee announced updated guidance for agritourism. (September 21)
Governor Inslee announced updated guidance for weddings and funerals. (September 16)
Governor Inslee announced updated guidance for indoor fitness and training facilities that would allow certain facilities to reopen with limited occupancy and social distancing. (September 11)
Governor Inslee announced a statewide mandatory face covering order that took effect June 26. (June 23)
SCHOOL PLANNING
K-12:
Governor Inslee announced updated school guidance for in-person instruction, which can be found here.
Governor Inslee signed an emergency proclamation requiring all public K-12 schools in the state to provide opportunities in both remote instruction and on-campus, in-person instruction. (March 16)
Governor Inslee announced new recommendations from the Washington State Department of Health for resuming in-person instruction that suggested local health departments and school districts would decide if and how they would allow students back in the classroom. (August 5)
Washington’s school chief announced that he expected school districts to reopen buildings in the fall, and released a planning guide for what in-person learning could be like. (June 11)
State Higher Education:
A list of Washington universities and colleges planning to reopen in the fall can be found here.
Governor Inslee issued guidance for reopening higher education institutions in the fall. (June 24)
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