March 24, 2020
Stay Home, Stay Healthy
Briefly: What does Governor Inslee’s order mean for me?
- You must stay home unless you are pursuing an essential activity. If you must travel – for food, medical care, essential work, or to care for a family member– stay six feet away from others.
- You cannot gather socially with anyone other than your immediate household members, even outdoors.
- Effective the evening of March 25th, all non-essential businesses must temporarily close.
This is not an easy request. We are all struggling with what that means for ourselves and our families. The more we are collectively able to create physical distance between ourselves and others, the more successful we will be in stopping the rapid spread of COVID-19.
More Details on the Stay Home, Stay Healthy Order
Yesterday, Governor Jay Inslee announced the two-week Stay Home, Stay Healthy Order to help slow the spread of COVID-19. The Skagit County Health Officer urges your immediate cooperation with this statewide order.
The Governor’s order requires every Washingtonian to stay home unless they are doing an essential activity, such as:
- Shopping for groceries or going to a medical appointment.
- Getting takeout food. (Food deliveries also are permitted).
- Going to work at an essential business.
- Going outside for walks and exercise by yourself or with members of your immediate household.
- Caring for an elderly or sick family member or friend.
When you leave home, you must stay six-feet apart from others.
Staying at home means staying at home. Now is not the time to be traveling outside your community. This does not apply to those whose homes or residences are unsafe.
Effective immediately, all gatherings for social, recreational or spiritual purposes are banned. This includes religious services, sleepovers, dinner parties, playing sports with friends, weddings and funerals. Under the order, you cannot gather socially with anyone other than your immediate household members, even outdoors.
Beginning Wednesday evening, March 25, all non-essential businesses in Washington State will close. All essential businesses must establish and implement social distancing and sanitation measures.
Agriculture, grocery stores, and restaurants providing takeout and delivery, will remain open. Buy only what you need as grocery stores will be stocked continuously. It is good practice to have a two-week supply on hand.
Although these measures cause significant economic, spiritual, and emotional hardships, we must do our part to protect the health of our family, friends, and neighbors.
These changes require us to place physical distance between ourselves and others, but social connectivity - through phone calls, letters, and video chat - are more important than ever. To keep our community healthy, reach out to friends, loved ones, and neighbors to see how they are doing and how we can support each other in this difficult time.
If you need help in managing stress or anxiety, please call the Volunteers of America crisis line at 1-800-584-3578 or visit www.imhurting.org.
The following links have more information on the Governor’s order:
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