Friends and Neighbors,
Washington State has life and death public health policy choices to make. We were leading the nation in making some of these choices, but a review of models shows why Governor Inslee had to take additional steps immediately to avoid much greater loss of life and spread of COVID19.
As both a legislator and public health faculty member at UW School of Public Health, I’ve been reviewing models to help both the public and our state decision makers understand what choices we should be making, and the dire consequences of delay.
I’m sharing this email and the linked memo with constituents so you can see the graphic depictions of modeling results that show why Governor Inslee’s “Stay Home – Stay Safe” Order is necessary to save thousands of lives. The graphics like the one below are easy to understand, discuss and share.
I encourage you to read the linked my latest blog post which contains additional graphics and explanations about our public health crisis.
We are all going to continue to be in this together. This will not end in a week or two. No one is immune from the Corona virus. Many people in other regions of the US and here, including younger people, think that they are not at high risk. With a high school student in our isolated household, I understand the frustrations and desires to return to normalcy.
These policy choices are not just about the risk of you and your family getting COVID19. Please consider that your isolation, support for these steps, and voicing your opinion on whether the federal government should assist more directly, will save the lives of people you know and love.
Rep. Gerry Pollet
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