Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Gov. Inslee hints of new coronavirus orders in the next few days
OLYMPIA — The governor and his wife tonight called on state residents to forgo Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations with family this year.
Speaking together from a couch, Gov. Jay Inslee said we’re “going to have to pause” traditional family Thanksgiving celebrations and “December holidays.”
“We have to rethink these holidays so we can be thankful when we don’t lose more lives to COVID,” he said, calling the situation that has dragged on since February only “temporary.”
The Inslees said they will be having a virtual Thanksgiving and urged others to do the same.
“We are optimistic that Thanksgiving 2021 will be the best ever,” he said. “But this year, it’s just too dangerous to gather indoors where the virus can spread easily.”
While the governor and First Lady Trudi Inslee were calling on state residents to skip in-person holidays, the governor slipped in an ominous statement regarding quarantine regulations:
“In the next few days, we will be announcing some further measures to prevent this from spreading,” Inslee said. “These decisions will effect what we do outside of our home.”
The comment comes just days after he announced extending many quarantine orders until Dec. 7.
The governor issued his first coronavirus quarantine orders on Feb. 29 – 257 days ago.
Then pivoting back to his Thanksgiving and Christmas message, the governor again pleaded for residents to only have virtual celebrations.
“We have a simple request form our family to yours – please do not have thanksgiving gatherings, unless your positive everyone there has quarantined successfully for 14 days, which would begin today,” he said.
Trudi Inslee cautioned that all gatherings could lead to more coronavirus cases.
“Every social gather gathering is just one more brick in the wall of infection,” she said, rattling off a series of social activities that should be avoided. “These gatherings in your homes are dangerous, right now.
“What happens next in our state depends on what happens in our families and in our homes. We implore you, rethink spending time with people outside of your household for Thanksgiving and the December holidays.”
The governor closed by telling residents to have “difficult, but necessary conversations with your family about the holiday.
“… This is a temporary situation; we will get back to normal.”
Roger Harnack is the owner/publisher of Free Press Publishing. Having grown up Benton City, Roger is an award-winning journalist, photographer, editor and publisher. He's one of only two editorial/commentary writers from Washington state to ever receive the international Golden Quill. Roger is dedicated to the preservation of local media, and the voice it retains for Eastern Washington.
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