Inslee Extends Coronavirus Restrictions, Announces Relief Grants

OLYMPIA, WA — Washington's latest round of pandemic restrictions have been extended into the new year.

In mid-November, amid the largest-ever surge in new COVID-19 infections, Gov. Jay Inslee announced several emergency pandemic restrictions, banning indoor dining, limiting capacity at retailers and grocery stores, and shuttering some businesses like gyms and museums, among other changes.

At the time, health officials hoped the surge would pass quickly, and planned for the new restrictions to expire on Dec. 14.

In the weeks since, the state has continued to log record-breaking case counts and on Tuesday, Inslee announced that restrictions would be extended another three weeks, until January 4th.

"This is because we remain concerned about COVID activity, and we still do not have a clear picture of the situation following the Thanksgiving weekend," Inslee said.

The surge in COVID-19 cases has caused several problems the DOH, who have been struggling to sort through data backlogs and duplicate reports. The governor noted that, once data issues have been fixed and the state has a clearer picture of the impact the holiday weekend had on transmissions, the restrictions could be lifted early if it appears safe.

"It is possible we would be able to recalibrate before then if we have significant improvement," Inslee said.

However, that remains unlikely. Following the surge in infections, a jump in hospitalizations has 80 percent of Washington's ICU beds occupied, putting the state's medical system in dangerous territory.

Grant for small businesses

At Tuesday's news conference the governor also announced a new suite of COVID-19 relief programs, including an additional $50 million in grants for struggling businesses.

"We're doing this in response to the overwhelming need for economic assistance during this crisis. We know this will not eliminate all of the economic suffering that people are experiencing," Inslee said. "We are continuing to push congress as hard as we can for the ultimate source of relief."

The grants will be part of the Working Washington program, and are in addition to another $50 million in Working Washington Grants announced just last week, for a total $100 million in new small business grants. To qualify, a business must prove that they have incurred losses due to the coronavirus pandemic, and state leaders say they will prioritize the hardest-hit industries when possible.

"We know that restaurants, breweries, bars, yoga studios, those types of facilities, music venues, are most hard hit," said Lisa Brown, director of the state Department of Commerce. "We will prioritize small businesses in every corner of the state."

Businesses are encouraged to apply for the grants before Dec. 11 if possible. Leaders say that's because the grants are funded through the CARES Act, money which must be exhausted by the end of the year.

The grants provide up to $20,000 per business. Interested businesses can apply to receive Working Washington grants online.

Unemployment assistance benefits

The governor rounded out his conference on a familiar message: calling on congress to pass a comprehensive coronavirus relief aid package to replace the nearly-exhausted CARES Act funds.

"Congress has more tools at its disposal than states do to solve this problem," Inslee said.

However, Inslee did note that, if congress cannot pass substantial aid, Washington will step up to offer its own unemployment assistance benefits.

"Whether it's through federal or state aid, if congress fails to act by Christmas, we will step up in the state to help workers and their families who are not covered by pre-pandemic unemployment insurance benefits," Inslee said.

The federal government's pandemic unemployment assistance is set to expire Dec. 26, so Washington would replace the program by the 25th to ensure there is no lapse in aid. Nearly 100,000 homes across Washington have at least one member who receives pandemic unemployment assistance.

This article originally appeared on the Seattle Patch