Proclamation 20-05 of State of Emergency and Implementation of Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan – COVID-19 (Governor of State of Washington)

PROCLAMATION BY THE GOVERNOR 20-05 WHEREAS, On January 21, 2020, the Washington State Department of Health confirmed the first case of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in the United States in Snohomish County, Washington, and local health departments and the Washington State Department of Health have since that time worked to identify, contact, and test others in Washington State potentially exposed to COVID-19 in coordination with the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); and WHEREAS, COVID-19, a respiratory disease that can result in serious illness or death, is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which is a new strain of coronavirus that had not been previously identified in humans and can easily spread from person to person; and WHEREAS, The CDC identifies the potential public health threat posed by COVID-19 both globally and in the United States as “high”, and has advised that person-to-person spread of COVID-19 will continue to occur globally, including within the United States; and WHEREAS, On January 31, 2020, the United States Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar declared a public health emergency for COVID-19, beginning on January 27, 2020; and WHEREAS, The CDC currently indicates there are 85,688 confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide with 66 of those cases in the United States, and the Washington State Department of Health has now confirmed localized person-to-person spread of COVID-19 in Washington State, significantly increasing the risk of exposure and infection to Washington State’s general public and creating an extreme public health risk that may spread quickly; and WHEREAS, The Washington State Department of Health has instituted a Public Health Incident Management Team to manage the public health aspects of the incident; and WHEREAS, The Washington State Military Department, State Emergency Operations Center, is coordinating resources across state government to support the Department of Health and local officials in alleviating the impacts to people, property, and infrastructure, and is assessing the magnitude and long-term effects of the incident with the Washington State Department of Health; and WHEREAS, The worldwide outbreak of COVID-19 and the effects of its extreme risk of person- to-person transmission throughout the United States and Washington State significantly impacts the life and health of our people, as well as the economy of Washington State, and is a public disaster that affects life, health, property or the public peace. NOW, THEREFORE, I, Jay Inslee, Governor of the state of Washington, as a result of the above- noted situation, and under Chapters 38.08, 38.52 and 43.06 RCW, do hereby proclaim that a State of Emergency exists in all counties in the state of Washington, and direct the plans and procedures of the Washington State Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan be implemented. State agencies and departments are directed to utilize state resources and to do everything reasonably possible to assist affected political subdivisions in an effort to respond to and recover from the outbreak. As a result of this event, I also hereby order into active state service the organized militia of Washington State to include the National Guard and the State Guard, or such part thereof as may be necessary in the opinion of The Adjutant General to address the circumstances described above, to perform such duties as directed by competent authority of the Washington State Military Department in addressing the outbreak. Additionally, I direct the Washington State Department of Health, the Washington State Military Department Emergency Management Division, and other agencies to identify and provide appropriate personnel for conducting necessary and ongoing incident related assessments. Signed and sealed with the official seal of the state of Washington this 29th day of February, A.D., Two Thousand and Twenty at Olympia, Washington.

By: /s/ Jay Inslee, Governor BY THE GOVERNOR: /s/ Secretary of State