Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said Tuesday that his pause on re-opening the state will be extended through July 28 due to rising COVID-19 cases.
Counties throughout Washington state will not be allowed to move into the next phase of re-opening until July 28 at the earliest, under the extension. Daily coronavirus case counts have been rising steadily since the state began its tiered re-opening program.
Inslee announced a pause on his four-part re-opening plan two weeks ago. King County is in the second phase, which allows for some in-person dining at restaurants and other businesses to operate.
More than 41,000 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Washington and 1,399 have died from complications associated with the virus, according to the state Department of Health.
“The situation we are in is unsustainable,” Inslee said during the announcement Tuesday. “We will have to reduce the rise that is occurring now in case counts, in the positivity rate, in hospitalizations. We have to find a way to somehow break that chain of disaster … there is a possibility, that is not insignificant, that we will have to take further actions.”
