Governor and others celebrate end of pandemic restrictions
Washington state is open — “big time” — Gov. Jay Inslee declared Wednesday.
“We are in the City of Destiny, saying it is our destiny to reopen Washington, and we are realizing that destiny,” an exuberant Inslee told a crowd of several hundred gathered at a celebration in a Tacoma park. “We are open, big time.”
The governor, along with other elected leaders and public health experts across the state, spent the day rejoicing that after more than a year of living under COVID-19 restrictions, they’re gone and it’s safe to resume most pre-pandemic activities.
“These 18 months have tested all of us in many ways and they have caused devastating loss,” state Deputy Secretary of Health Lacey Fehrenbach said at a Wednesday news conference. “However, in addition to honoring all that we’ve lost and suffered through, we have to celebrate the heroic efforts of millions that helped us to get to this point.”
Going forward, the biggest concern is counties and communities where vaccination rates are lagging, state Secretary of Health Dr. Umair Shah said.
As of Wednesday, 69% of Washingtonians 16 and older had received at least one shot, while 60% were fully vaccinated.
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