KITTITAS – The Kittitas County Incident Management Team (IMT) wants residents to get ready now in anticipation of the state releasing restrictions in response to COVID-19. Governor Jay Inslee recently released restrictions for pre-existing residential construction projects, some outdoor activities, and may continue to slowly release restrictions.
It is important to note that restrictions currently in place are under the Governor’s authority and more information is available at https://www.governor.wa.gov/. Washington State supersedes local control. However, when the state does not have an order in place, then local control resumes. For example, when Governor Inslee eventually rescinds Stay Home, Stay Healthy then our Health Officer Dr. Mark Larson will have jurisdiction via the local health order.
Residents can prepare by continuing to use vetted sources of information such as the Kittitas County public website and Facebook page, Washington State Department of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the University of Washington’s COVID-19 Projections page.
“We know that containment strategies will continue for a long time and that includes testing, contract tracing, continued physical distancing, and limiting gathering sizes,” states Health Officer Dr. Mark Larson. “We are all watching to see what the Governor is going to do as we move forward and looking at the situation specific to Kittitas County. We are unique, in the center of the state, and surrounded by counties that continue to experience significantly high rates of this disease.”
The IMT is also working hard to have systems in place to safely ensure businesses reopening in the future. For general COVID-19 questions, the Emergency Operation Center is at 509-933-8315 or 509-933-8305.
Kittitas County, from the Cascades to the Columbia, and online at http://www.co.kittitas.wa.us
