At his May 12 press conference, Governor Jay Inslee laid out the plans for the statewide contact tracing initiative.

“[The initiative] is robust, it is vigorous and it is comprehensive, and it needs to be all three to be successful,” Inslee said. “If we do not succeed in this second stage of our efforts, this virus could come bright back and bite us.”

Inslee said that the state has seen early success in its efforts against COVID-19, and this initiative will represent a transition from one strategy to another. Social distancing was the primary tool against the virus, and when the state is looking to open the economy, contact tracing and isolation of those who test positive will be the next tool.

“If this is successful, it will allow us to open our economy,” Inslee said. “This next stage… actually will be more difficult, and its success will depend on both the state and local public health officials and families who will need to be committed to this effort to help their community.”

Read more...

[link to lynnwoodtimes.com (secure)]