Washington State Governor Jay Inslee was to hold a news conference at 1pm local time, but instead had King County Executive James Dow Constantine stand in for the most disjointed presser I have ever seen. It took the press 35 minutes into the event to tease out the answer to the question of whether it was an imported case of Coronavirus that was infecting people in these new cases, or whether it was person to person transmission from a local source. The answer was that it was person to person transmission from an unknown source. When asked if there was going to be travel restrictions, the only answer they would give the press was that they were considering shutting down local gatherings such as sporting events and other such public events.
Now our cowardly governor has declared a state of emergency.
Washington governor declares state of emergency after first US coronavirus patient dies
by Daniel Chaitin
| February 29, 2020 03:49 PM
| Updated Feb 29, 2020, 04:26 PM
The governor of Washington declared a state of emergency on Saturday.
Gov. Jay Inslee issued the proclamation hours after announcing a coronavirus patient died in Washington, the first known death tied to the COVID-19 illness on American soil.
The proclamation directs state agencies and departments to utilize state resources and do everything reasonably possible to assist affected communities responding to and recovering from COVID-19 cases. It also allows the use of the Washington National Guard, if needed.
“This will allow us to get the resources we need,” Inslee, a Democrat, said in a statement. “This is a time to take common-sense, proactive measures to ensure the health and safety of those who live in Washington state. Our state agency directors have been actively preparing since the nation’s first case appeared in Snohomish County. Washingtonians can be assured we’ve taken this threat seriously and have been working in collaboration with our healthcare partners to develop plans and procedures to prepare for what could likely be a worldwide pandemic.”
The person who died has not been identified but has been described as a patient over the age of 50 who had not traveled recently.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/washington-governor-declares-state-of-emergency-after-first-us-coronavirus-patient-dies