Amid Record-Breaking Coronavirus Surge, Change Appears Imminent

OLYMPIA, WA — Washington state will be implementing new restrictions to curb the recent explosive growth in new coronavirus infections, though exactly what those regulations will be is still unknown.

The Washington State Department of Health confirmed 2,233 new coronavirus infections in their daily update Saturday afternoon — marking just the second time the state has recorded more than 2,000 cases in a single day, and the fifth time Washington has broken the single-day case count record this November. To help put the number in perspective, before this current COVID-19 surge, Washington's record high daily case count was 1,058, set on July 6 during the second surge of coronavirus infections this summer.

In response to the rising transmission rates, Gov. Jay Inslee appears to be preparing a new set of COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions, similar to those he first debuted when the pandemic started back in spring. Saturday, Inslee's office announced that the governor will hold a press conference at 11 a.m. Sunday to "discuss actions to combat the rapid and alarming rise of Covid in our state."

What those actions will entail remains unclear, though rumors abound. As The Seattle Times reports, at least one insider claims that the restrictions will include a ban on indoor social gatherings, indoor dining, and stricter capacity limits for retailers and even grocers. The Times cite Tammie Hetrick, President & CEO of Washington Food Industry Association, who says she spoke with Inslee's office and learned of several forthcoming restrictions including:

• A ban on indoor social gatherings.
• A ban on indoor dining at bars and restaurants. Outdoor services would remain limited to 5 people.
• Restricting retail stores, including grocery and convenience stories, to 25 percent capacity or less.
• The closure of all deli and salad bars.
• New guidance on mask restrictions, allowing businesses to oust non-mask wearing customers.

A letter from Hetrick to WFIA members detailing the supposed restrictions was also shared widely on Reddit. The governor's office did not directly deny or confirm her report, but said that any leaked conversations between stakeholders and the governor's office "are missing some info and don't have the full picture."

As a result it's unclear how many, if any, of those restrictions will come to pass, but at least some change is likely to come of Inslee's announcement. The governor himself had hinted as much during his televised address Thursday.

"In the next few days we will be announcing some further measures to prevent this from spreading," the governor said. "These decisions will affect what we do outside the home, but what's most urgent right now is what we do in our own dwellings."

Washington would not be the first state to reimpose old coronavirus restrictions. On Friday, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown announced her state would be entering a "two-week freeze" in an attempt to cut down on new coronavirus infections.

Oregon and Washington are also far from the only states seeing a surge of new infections: as the COVID Tracking Project reports, 38 states reported more than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases Saturday.