Washington Governor Jay Inslee issued a “Stay Home – Stay Healthy” Order on Monday, March 23, 2020. By this Proclamation 20-25, Proclamation 20-05 and all amendments to it remain in effect as otherwise amended and Proclamations 20-05, 20-07, 20-11, 20-13, and 20-14 are amended and superseded by this Proclamation (20-25) to impose a Stay Home – Stay Healthy Order throughout Washington State, which prohibits all people in Washington State from leaving their homes or participating in social, spiritual and recreational gatherings of any kind regardless of the number of participants, and all non-essential businesses in Washington State from conducting business, within the limitations provided herein.
In accordance with this order, the Governor has designated the following list of “Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers” (ECIWs) to help state, local, tribal, and industry partners as they work to protect communities, while ensuring continuity of functions critical to public health and safety, as well as economic and national security. The link to the essential businesses narrative and list is modeled after the Homeland Security directive.
The Healthcare and Public Health (HPH) Sector is large, diverse, and open, spanning both the public and private sectors. It includes publicly accessible healthcare facilities, research centers, suppliers, manufacturers, and other physical assets and vast, complex public-private information technology systems required for care delivery and to support the rapid, secure transmission and storage of large amounts of HPH data.
Essential Workforce
- Workers providing COVID-19 testing and workers that perform critical clinical research and development needed for COVID-19 response.
- Health care providers and caregivers (e.g., physicians, dentists, psychologists, mid-level practitioners, nurses and assistants, infection control and quality assurance personnel, pharmacists, physical and occupational therapists and assistants, midwives and doulas attending facility-based or home-based births, alternative healthcare providers, social workers, speech pathologists and diagnostic and therapeutic technicians and technologists).
- Hospital and laboratory personnel (including accounting, administrative, admitting and discharge, engineering, epidemiological, source plasma and blood donation, food service, housekeeping, medical records, information technology and operational technology, nutritionists, sanitarians, respiratory therapists, etc.).
- Workers in other medical facilities (including Ambulatory Health and Surgical, Blood Banks, Clinics, Community Mental Health, Comprehensive Outpatient rehabilitation, End Stage Renal Disease, Health Departments, Home Health care, Hospices, Hospitals, Long Term Care, Organ Pharmacies, Procurement Organizations, Psychiatric, Residential, Rural Health Clinics and Federally Qualified Health Centers, biotechnology therapies, consumer health products, cannabis retailers).
- Manufacturers, technicians, logistics and warehouse operators, and distributors of medical equipment, medical devices, diagnostics, personal protective equipment (PPE), medical gases, pharmaceuticals, blood and blood products, vaccines, testing materials, laboratory supplies, cleaning, sanitizing, disinfecting or sterilization supplies, and tissue and paper towel products.
- Public health / community health workers, including those who compile, model, analyze and communicate public health information.
- Behavioral health workers (including mental and substance use disorder) responsible for coordination, outreach, engagement, and treatment to individuals in need of mental health and/or substance use disorder services.
- Blood and plasma donors and the employees of the organizations that operate and manage related activities.
- Workers that manage health plans, billing, and health information, who cannot practically work remotely.
- Workers who conduct community-based public health functions, conducting epidemiologic surveillance, compiling, analyzing and communicating public health information, who cannot practically work remotely.
- Workers who provide support to vulnerable populations to ensure their health and well-being including family care providers.
- Workers performing cybersecurity functions at healthcare and public health facilities, who cannot practically work remotely.
- Workers conducting research critical to COVID-19 response. Workers performing security, incident management, and emergency operations functions at or on behalf of healthcare entities including healthcare coalitions, who cannot practically work remotely.
- Workers who support food, shelter, and social services, and other necessities of life for economically disadvantaged or otherwise needy individuals, such as those residing in shelters.
- Pharmacy employees necessary for filling prescriptions.
- Workers performing mortuary services, including funeral homes, crematoriums, and cemetery workers.
- Workers who coordinate with other organizations to ensure the proper recovery, handling, identification, transportation, tracking, storage, and disposal of human remains and personal effects; certify cause of death; and facilitate access to behavioral health services to the family members, responders, and survivors of an incident.
- Workers supporting veterinary hospitals and clinics.
If a business is not certain about their “essential versus non-essential” status, they are asked to complete and submit this form. Answers will be completed as soon as possible after submission. A full list of the Governor’s COVID-19 proclamations can be found online.