Washington governor announces vaccine, testing mandate for large events, including outdoor events with more than 10,000 attendees



Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced Thursday that large events will soon be required to confirm that attendees have either been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or that they have tested negative for the illness within the prior 72 hours.

The requirement, which will go into effect Nov. 15, is applicable to attendees ages 12 and older, Inslee said.

Today I announced that, effective November 15, large events in Washington state will be required to verify that all… https://t.co/aEMOTWAK68

— Governor Jay Inslee (@GovInslee) 1634255846.0

Not only does it pertain to indoor events involving 1,000 or more people, it also pertains to outdoor events involving more than 10,000 individuals in attendance.

"For now this applies to ticketed or registered events that have defined entrances, like conventions, concerts, sporting events, fairs that have defined entrances, theme parks and more. This does not cover large venues like shopping malls, museums, or grocery stores that are open to the public as part of their operations," Inslee said.

He noted that K-12 school-related events that take place on school grounds are exempt from the mandate, and that religious services are also exempt.

Inslee said that "we know that outdoor venues are safest, but they still have some transmission risk, and that's why we've taken the steps that we have."

Inslee, a Democrat, has served as governor of the Evergreen State since early 2013 and his current term is slated to last until early 2025. He mounted a presidential bid during the 2020 election cycle but ultimately dropped out.

He went on to win re-election in the 2020 Washington gubernatorial election contest, becoming the second governor in state history to secure election in three consecutive terms, according to Ballotpedia.

WATCH: Inslee mandates COVID-19 vaccine or negative test for large events in Washington youtu.be

Washington state mandates COVID-19 vaccination for public and private school workers as a condition of employment



Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) announced Wednesday that teachers and workers at schools across the state will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of their employment.

The vaccine requirement will apply to teachers and other school workers.

"So today I'm announcing a vaccine requirement for K through 12 educators, for school staff, coaches, bus drivers, school volunteers, and others who spend time in these schools with children," Inslee said, noting that also applies to private and charter schools. The governor noted that the proclamation does not include tribal compact schools.

Inslee, a Democrat who has served as governor of the Evergreen State since 2013, said there will be no option to test out of this requirement and that vaccination will be mandatory as a condition of employment.

"Similarly to our state employment requirements, there will be no test out option available," he said. "This will be a condition of employment," he said, regarding the vaccination requirement.

Higher education workers will also face a vaccination requirement, as will "most childcare and early learning providers who serve children from multiple households," according to a post on Medium.

"Our higher ed vaccination requirement is consistent with these other measures as well. Staff, faculty, contractors, coaches, volunteers, and visitors are required to be fully vaccinated by October 18th," Inslee said. "So people have to start their vaccination well before October 18 to comply with this requirement."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that a person is fully vaccinated two weeks after their second dose of the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines, or two weeks after their single shot of the Johnson & Johnson Janssen vaccine.

There will be exemptions for medical and religious reasons, the governor noted.

"Someone with legitimate medical reasons that are shown and demonstrated, or sincerely held religious reasons for not getting the vaccine will be able to seek an exemption. These exemptions do not include personal or philosophical objections," Inslee said.

The governor also announced that effective Monday people in indoor public settings will be required to wear face masks.

"It applies to public places, restaurants and offices, shops. It covers everyone in a public-facing setting, regardless of their vaccination status," he said. "It does not cover vaccinated workers who do not have face to face interactions with the public in those settings."

WATCH LIVE: Inslee, state superintendent to discuss response to COVID-19 pandemic Wednesday www.youtube.com

Washington governor brags ‘we won the Super Bowl of the COVID pandemic’ after shutting down economy for more than a year



Washington Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee recently boasted that his administration "won the Super Bowl of the COVID pandemic" despite its decision to shutter the state's economy for more than a year and consequently upend the livelihood of tens of thousands of residents.

What are the details?

Inslee made the remarks while facing questions over the extent of his emergency powers in the state. Even as most of the country had lifted the bulk of their coronavirus-related restrictions by earlier this year, Inslee's unchecked authority allowed him to extend strict lockdown restrictions up until last week — more than a year since the pandemic took hold in America and well after vaccines had been made available.

Even now, unvaccinated residents are supposed to wear masks at indoor workplaces and everyone, regardless of vaccination status, is required to wear masks inside places like schools and healthcare facilities.

Yet when asked by KCPQ-TV reporter Brandi Kruse on Sunday whether or not he should reform his emergency powers, Inslee responded, "We have had such tremendous success in our state relative to other states. I don't see a reason for that."

Asked whether it's time to reform his emergency powers, @GovInslee says of his pandemic performance: "I'm not sure… https://t.co/U0t9YzwPy8

— Brandi Kruse (@BrandiKruse) 1625417645.0

"The calls we have made have been very difficult but they have succeeded," the governor continued. "I'm not sure you want to go back and reform when you've won the Super Bowl. And we've won the Super Bowl of the COVID pandemic.

"The reason is: We have saved tens of thousands of lives," he added. "I'm not sure I want to reform a system that won the Super Bowl."

What else?

Aside from the obvious unfeelingness of Inslee's celebratory demeanor, there are several reasons to conclude that his administration's performance was less than victorious — especially for business owners who lost their businesses due to the state's harsh lockdown orders.

According to data collected by the Washington Hospitality Association, at least 2,500 restaurants in the state permanently closed its doors during the first six months of the pandemic. The organization noted in December that the actual number was likely much, much higher. Tack on several more months of limited capacity measures and it likely only increased.

The coronavirus pandemic and subsequent lockdown measures also reportedly took an immense mental and emotional toll on Washingtonians. The United Health Foundation reported that suicides in the state greatly increased over the past year. Just as well, the state experienced a dramatic surge in mental health cases involving anxiety and depression.