Washington, Oregon and California will now be joined by Colorado and Nevada in sharing approaches to modifying stay-at-home orders and reopening economies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gov. Jay Inslee announced Monday morning that Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak are joining the Western States Pact.
“In Washington state, our decisions are guided by public health data and science and this is a principle we share up and down the West Coast. Governor Polis and Governor Sisolak are taking that approach as well, and the addition of their states will strengthen this regional partnership and save lives,” Inslee said.
Inslee first introduced the Western States Pact two weeks ago along with California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, agreeing that each will have a state-specific plan, but will agree on certain principles:
Residents’ health comes first. Health outcomes and science – not politics – will guide these decisions. Our states will only be effective by working together
“Coloradans are working together to slow the spread of COVID-19 and have important information to share with and to gain from other states. I’m thrilled Colorado is joining the Western States Pact,” Gov. Jared Polis said. “There’s no silver bullet that will solve this pandemic until there is a cure so we must have a multifaceted and bold approach in order to slow the spread of the virus, keep our people safe and help our economy rebound.”
“I’m honored to have the state of Nevada join the Western States Pact and believe the sharing of critical information and best practices on how to mitigate the spread, protect the health and safety of our residents, and reopen responsibly will be invaluable as we chart our paths forward,” Gov. Steve Sisolak said. “Millions of visitors from our fellow Western states travel to Nevada every year as a premier tourism destination and this partnership will be vital to our immediate recovery and long-term economic comeback.”
The Western States Pact governors have committed towards goals like:
Protecting vulnerable populations at risk for severe disease if infectedEnsuring an ability to care for those who may contract COVID-19Mitigating non-direct COVID-19 health impacts. Protecting general public by ensuring lifting of interventions includes development for testing, tracking and isolating.
